Laz Diaz ripped for bizarre interference call during Rays-Blue Jays game

Laz Diaz was involved in yet another controversy this week.

The veteran MLB umpire Diaz was behind the plate as the crew chief for Tuesday’s game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. During the third inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Diaz gave the verdict on a bizarre call that benefited the Rays.

Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe got ahold of a pitch from Toronto’s Jose Berrios and skied it into right-center field (with two runners on an nobody out). Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes attempted to make a leaping catch at the wall, but a fan in the stands stretched out to successfully glove the ball instead.

Replays showed that the fan seemed to very clearly reach out over into the field of play on a ball that Lukes had a legitimate play on. Diaz noted that there was indeed fan interference there … but said that it was a home run for Lowe anyway.

“After review, there is fan inteference,” said Diaz. “But the ball would have been a home run anyway. So it’s a home run.”

Here is the clip of the full bizarre sequence.