Could Replay Review Have Prevented the Phillies from Winning the World Series in 1980?
Controversial plays happen, particularly in the World Series. Not all of them are as clear-cut as the blown call in the bottom of the ninth inning of game 6 of the 1985 World Series, where Royals Jorge Orta was called safe at first. Had replay review existed back then, Orta would have been called out, and the Cardinals would have captured another World Championship. Instead, the Royals staged a comeback in that inning, and then took game 7 to win their first World Championship. But other plays are not so clear-cut, and spark debate among sports fans for decades. Had replay review existed, would it have changed the outcome of the entire World Series? Some of those plays, though controversial at the time, have faded into the background of baseball history. One such play occurred in game 5 of the 1980 World Series. Rookie phenom, and Pitcher of the Month for September, Marty Bystrom took the mound against the Royals. Bystr...