World
Did Blake Burke swing vs. FSU? Controversial no-swing helps Tennessee to College World Series win
Florida State baseball was one strike away from pulling off the first upset at the College World Series.
However, a check swing and an appeal by the third base umpire stood in between.
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In the bottom of the ninth inning, after giving up a double to Tennessee’s Christian Moore that put the tying run on base, Florida State pitcher Brennen Oxford had a 2-2 count against Vols first baseman Blake Burke. Oxford would deliver an off-speed pitch to Burke trying to get him swinging, which it looked like he did.
However, on an appeal of the check swing, the third-base umpire said Burke did not go around, extending the count to 3-2. FSU manager Link Jarrett quickly showed his displeasure on the outcome of the appeal, as the ESPN broadcast showed Jarrett yelling at the third-base umpire from the steps of the Seminoles dugout.
While the check swing could have gone either way, it did look like Burke went around enough on his swing for it to be a called swing as captured from the ESPN broadcast:
Here’s another look at the check swing from Burke in a wider look:
One pitch later, Burke would single up the middle to tie the game at 11-11. Tennessee would then walk it off two batters later to hand the Seminoles a 12-11 loss, sending FSU to the “loser’s bracket” of the CWS. Florida State entered the eighth inning with an 11-7 lead.