Cardinals walk off on controversial Molina double

The St. Louis Cardinals walked out of Busch Stadium with a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday thanks to Yadier Molina's game-winning double, which created some controversy after the contest's completion.

Molina's double pulled the Cardinals within a half-game of the San Francisco Giants for the final wild-card spot in the National League. It became a point of discussion after the contest, however, as the hit should have been a ground-rule double, according to Busch Stadium guidelines. This would have meant base runner Matt Carpenter, who began the at-bat on first base, would have been sent back to third without scoring.

As the Cardinals celebrated and the umpires walked off the field, the Reds weren't judged to meet MLB's challenge requirements for a play that ends a game, which stipulate a challenge "must be invoked immediately upon the conclusion of the play."

Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters after the game that umpire crew chief Bill Miller said he had 10 seconds to challenge the game-ending play, which wasn't done in time.

''I'm not blaming the umpires. I'm blaming the system,'' Price said, according to The Associated Press.

The Reds skipper also said he had a hard time getting word from the team's video personnel on whether or not to challenge the call due to the noise from the Cardinals celebrating on the field.

"Because of the crowd noise, we couldn't hear the phone ring," he said, according to Chris Hrabe of KMOX.

Miller told reporters after the game umpires did take a look at the play in question.

"We did look at it. It appears that the ball hit above the fence. And hit the signage above the left-field fence."

The Reds do not believe they can appeal the game, but will seek clarification on Friday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's C. Trent Rosecrans.

(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)