Reds finally get justice (sort of) after controversial mistake is wiped away

The Cincinnati Reds went into Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins with a 10-game errorless streak on the line. The Reds had played error-free baseball through the first two weeks of the season, and were the only team in MLB without a miscue. But that streak came to a halt on Tuesday during a bizarre play involving second baseman Matt McLain.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Marlins outfielder Heriberto Hernández attempted to steal second base. Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson delivered a dart to McLain who applied the tag and recorded the second out of the inning — or so they thought.

Second base umpire Sean Barber ruled that McLain obstructed Hernández's path to the bag and the Marlins got a reprieve. Hernández stayed in the game, McLain was charged with an error on the call, and Miami had runners on second and third with only one out.

The Reds are riding an 11-game streak of error-free baseball

But Elias has reversed the call on the field and awarded Hernández a stolen base, thus keeping Cincinnati's streak of error-free baseball alive. The Reds will head into Wednesday's game against the Marlins and are still the the only team in MLB to have not committed an error. The record of 16 straight games without an error was set by the San Diego Padres in 2022.

That's a small victory for the Reds, but there's just one problem. Hernández shouldn't receive a stolen base for his efforts. He was clearly out. McLain applied the tag before he touched the bag and the umpire initially ruled the runner out. This wasn't overturned on instant replay. The initial call was out.

MLB has cracked down on these types of calls in recent years, but McLain was not obstructing the bag in any way, shape, or form. Yes, his foot was out in front after he received the throw from Stephenson, but the runner had plenty of space to make a safe slide into the bag.

The Reds may not have an error on their ledger, but Stephenson's caught-stealing percentage just received a ding. Nowadays, the final score isn't known until the following day...and even that it could change.