Major League Baseball's first-ever use of instant replay to settle a call backed a 9th-inning homer from Alex Rodriguez last night at Tropicana Field. Umpires checked the Yankee slugger's drive on a monitor after a protest from Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, and upheld the original fair call, Newsday reports.
Instant replay for home runs entered the rule books last week and is limited to settling "boundary" calls of fair or foul, out of the park or in, and fan interference. The system was brought in after several controversial rulings this season, including one against A-Rod. The replay last night gave Rodriguez his 549th homer and helped the Yankees to an 8-4 victory.
(More Alex Rodriguez stories.)