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April 7, 2024
Los Angeles Angels broadcasters Wayne Randazzo and Mark Gubicza blasted Major League Baseball after a retroactive scoring change ended Nolan Schanuel’s potentially historic on-base streak at 30 games.
Through Friday, Schanuel had reached base in all 36 games of his big league career. But, on Saturday, MLB announced a retroactive scoring change, listing Schanuel’s hit on March 30 against the Baltimore Orioles as an error instead.
“As a result, Schanuel’s on-base streak to begin his career has been retroactively ended at 30 games and finishes at the third-longest streak all-time to begin an MLB career,” the team announced on X.
The Angels appealed the decision, but they were denied.
So during Saturday’s broadcast, Randazzo scorched MLB — slamming the league for its mixed-up priorities.
“Negative story after negative story, scandal after scandal, a fiasco in Oakland. You have these ridiculous-looking jerseys. You have the MLBPA challenging the league about the pitch clock — today — because of constant pitcher injuries. Not to mention your global superstar is embroiled in a betting scandal,” Randazzo said.
“But on top of all of that, you have a young player, trying to make a name for himself, who has come up and reached base safely in every single game that he has played. And the league allows this scoring change to go on to end his streak, kill this story, a positive story that’s happening in Major League Baseball. It is an absurdity.”
Gubicza agreed.
“When you think about it, all the positivity from all over the social media world,” he said. “How it impressed everybody. To start your career — he was just in college last year. He was still playing college baseball at this point. And to have that taken away, on a base hit. It was a base hit.”
The play in question happened in the ninth inning of the second game of the season. Schanuel pulled a sharp grounder, and Baltimore first baseman Ryan Mountcastle made a diving stop. Mountcastle threw the ball to pitcher Mike Baumann, who was covering first. But Baumann couldn’t make the catch.
It was originally ruled a hit for Schanuel. But, with the scoring change, Baumann gets an error, and Mountcastle gets an assist.
Schanuel was called up by the Angels last season only 40 days after they drafted him out of Florida Atlantic with the 11th overall pick. The 22-year-old drew a pair of walks in Saturday’s win over Boston. So had the scoring change not taken place, his on-base streak would now be at 37 games.
