Safe Or Out? One Of The Worst Calls Of MLB's Season So Far

Moments ago, Orioles' Trey Mancini hit what looked like a routine out to Athletics second baseman Nick Allen. Until a split second later the ball was thrown down the line and past first baseman Seth Brown where Mancini should've been called safe at first -- Trey Mancini was called out for "attempting to run to second base" as he turned towards the field of play to return to first base.

Seriously? Watch:

The call is dismal and here's why: As a writer who played baseball for decades, a runner must make a deliberate attempt to advance on the base paths to be forced into a tag play back to his previous base. That's not what happened here. Trey Mancini turned inside to check where the location of the baseball was while also allowing for an opportunity to run provided the ball trickled far enough from Athletics first baseman Seth Brown. It didn't, so Mancini returned in a walk to first.

The umpire made a judgment call that Mancini turning inside meant he had already decided to make an attempt towards second. Should be a finable offense, but as we know, umpires in Major League Baseball face hardly any ramification for calls that sometimes impact outcome. It's a serious job with millions of dollars at stake yet no one holds them accountable.

The replies to my tweet of the footage mostly agree the call was cheeks, however there were plenty that had no clue how this rule is applied as they shouted Mancini crossed into the line of play. An understandable mistake for the average Joe that was cut from JV to be unclear on the rules, but first base umpire Rob Drake that's been on staff since 2010?

Pathetic.