Controversial play at 1st base leaves Nats fuming in Game 6

The umpires once again took center stage in the World Series for all the wrong reasons.

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner appeared to beat out a comebacker to the pitcher in the top of the seventh inning. Houston Astros right-hander Brad Peacock's throw was wide and went down the line into right field, taking first baseman Yuli Gurriel off the bag. Turner ended up at second base on the play.

But umpire Jim Wolf called the shortstop out for interfering with Gurriel's attempt to field the throw. Turner was ruled to be running inside the baseline, per the umpires' interpretation of Rule 5.09(a)(11):

Nationals manager Dave Martinez stormed out of the dugout in protest, screaming at home plate umpire Sam Holbrook. His protest was to no avail, though, as the play couldn't be challenged.

Turner was left fuming in the dugout, and the FOX broadcast captured his anger.

"I mean, what else do you do? I don't know," Turner said after the game, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. "The batter's box is in fair territory. First base is in fair territory. I swung. I ran a straight line. I got hit with the ball. I'm out. I don't understand it. I could understand if I veered one way or the other. I didn't."

Joe Torre, who serves as MLB's chief baseball officer, explained the play postgame.

"If you notice, (Turner) was running inside the line toward fair territory, toward the grass. And he was coming from that angle," he said. "If he had been running in the 45-foot line he'd have been coming from a different angle and the first baseman may have had an easier chance catching the ball.

"But as you know - as you saw - the glove came off Gurriel's hand and he wasn't doing anything but trying to catch the ball. And my view, if he catches the ball, Turner, he's fast, but he hadn't gotten to first base yet."

The umpires eventually decided to get together for what became a lengthy review, only for the original call to be upheld. Martinez was later ejected while continuing to argue between innings.

"All the explanation was it was just a judgment call," Martinez said.

Ultimately, Washington lost an additional run, as third baseman Anthony Rendon launched a two-run homer - which would have been a three-run shot had Turner been on base - against Will Harris to put his team ahead 5-2.