Home-run call appeared to be correct

It was originally called a double in the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Phillies in Game 3 and later ruled a two-run home run when the umpires consulted instant replay - the first such use ever in the postseason.

Phillies fans sitting in Sections 106 and 107 mostly agreed that it looked as if the ball would have cleared the fence had the camera not been there. But no one could definitively know.

"It was hard to tell," said Davis, 46, of Vineland, N.J.

Television replays showed that the ball struck the right side of the camera, just missing the lens. The camera was situated above the gray metal fencing that runs across the top of the outfield wall and hung about 10 inches over the wall and into play.

"Because we cannot control what the cameraman does with the camera, one of the specific ground rules is that if the ball hits the camera, it's a home run," crew chief Jerry Davis said.

Thus, the camera is just like a fan reaching over the fence and touching the ball. It's a home run once the ball hits it.

The cameraman, Matthew McGahan, said he did not get a clear view of the ball because he was looking into the camera when the ball struck. But he said he believed the ball would have been a home run regardless.

"I'm upset I didn't have a good shot," he said.

McGahan's press credential said he worked for MLB International, but he said he was also shooting for Fox. He said that fans were yelling at him after the play but that no one threw anything at him.

An inning after the ball hit the camera, fans were still shouting at McGahan. One said, "Wait to talk to your lawyer!" Attempting to shy away from further controversy, McGahan put his headset on and began texting on his cell phone.

"I'm a Phillies fan, but it looked like a home run to me," said Shawn O'Neill, 26, of Collegeville. O'Neill was sitting a few rows up in Section 106, where the camera was situated in the corner, adjacent to the foul pole.

Dan Bell, a Fox spokesman, said camera positions were approved and vetted by Major League Baseball and the umpiring crew. Before each playoff series, Fox conducts a site survey with MLB officials to determine camera positions, Bell said. Then, before each playoff game, the umpires check the positions to make sure they are legal. Jerry Davis confirmed it.

"So everything is approved before a pitch is thrown in a game," Bell said. "This is an approved, standard position for that camera in the outfield."

An industry source said last night that the camera was expected to be moved back out of play for Game 4 tonight.

Bell could not recall any other instances in which a ball in play hit a camera.

Umpires' use of instant replay to clarify home-run calls began in late August 2008. Rodriguez is no stranger to it - the first use of instant replay came on a ball he hit during a regular-season game against Tampa Bay on Sept. 3, 2008.

This was the third time instant replay was used at Citizens Bank Park. From the fans' vantage point in right field, the right call was made.

"We booed," said Paul Stoltzfus, a 24-year-old native of Reading who was sitting in Row 5 of Section 106. "But it was the right call."