Don Kelly loses it on umpires after replay review kills Pirates' playoff momentum vs Cubs

The Pittsburgh Pirates couldn't have scripted a better start to Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Somehow, MLB's replay system still found a way to suck the life out of it.

Konnor Griffin opened the game by ripping a triple off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, immediately putting the Pirates in business. Oneil Cruz followed with a line-drive single into left field, scoring Griffin and giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead before the Cubs had recorded an out.

For a team desperately trying to keep its fading postseason hopes alive, it was exactly the kind of opening it needed.

But it didn't last long. With Bryan Reynolds at the plate, Cruz attempted to steal second base and was called out after catcher Carson Kelly's throw to second baseman Pedro Ramírez.

The Pirates immediately challenged the call, and for good reason. Replay appeared to show Cruz getting his hand onto the bag well before the tag. It wasn't particularly close. It was the kind of replay that seemed destined to produce a quick reversal and put a runner in scoring position with nobody out.

Instead, the call was upheld. One out. Rally interrupted. And Pirates manager Don Kelly was furious.

Kelly let the umpiring crew hear it from the dugout after the review inexplicably failed to overturn the call. Managers aren't permitted to argue replay decisions without risking ejection, but it was difficult to blame Kelly for losing his cool considering both the clarity of the replay and the stakes for his team.

Pirates lose momentum vs Cubs after brutal replay review robs Oneil Cruz of stolen base

This also raises the same maddening question that surfaces every time MLB's replay system produces one of these decisions: What exactly is the point?

Replay exists specifically to correct obvious mistakes. Nobody expects every bang-bang play to produce an indisputable answer, and there are plenty of calls where multiple camera angles still leave legitimate uncertainty. This wasn't one of them.

Cruz appeared safe. The Pirates challenged. The video seemingly provided the evidence necessary to correct the mistake. And the mistake stood anyway.

That's particularly brutal in September, when Pittsburgh has virtually no margin for error in the NL Wild Card race. The Pirates entered the inning with an opportunity to immediately put Imanaga and the Cubs on their heels. Griffin's triple and Cruz's RBI single created instant momentum, and Cruz's speed should have put another runner in scoring position for the heart of the order.

Instead, Pittsburgh was handed an out.

The Pirates have nobody but themselves to blame for needing nearly everything to go right down the stretch. But when replay is available and still can't get an obvious call right, Kelly's frustration is more than justified.

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