SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants starter Jeff Samardzija thought he had struck out Corey Seager for the second out of the top of the fifth inning.
Home plate umpire Andy Fletcher saw it differently, and it changed the course of Samardzija's outing in the Giants' 7-2 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday at Oracle Park.
With two strikes on Seager, Samardzija threw a 94 MPH fastball that appeared to catch the inside corner at Seager's knees. Fletcher called it a ball.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Screenshot: MLB
On the next pitch, the Dodgers shortstop tied the game 2-2 with an RBI double to right field.
"We had him struck out," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after the game. "He doesn’t get the call there. That’s a tough break for us, for Shark. He pitched great. He shouldn’t have given up a run there."
San Francisco Giants
After Samardzija retired the next two batters to end the inning, he had a long chat with Fletcher as he walked back to the Giants dugout.
Samardzija bit his tongue after the game as best he could regarding what happened in the fifth inning, likely knowing that a fine would come his way if he said anything about Fletcher's calls.
"I’m not going to comment on that," Samardzija said. "We’ll have to go back and watch the film. Everyone saw the game, watched it on TV, so I’ll let that speak for itself. I don’t really have much to say about that."
Samardzija was able to limit the damage in the fifth, but he ran into more trouble in the sixth.
After allowing a leadoff double, he hit Joc Pederson with a pitch. The Giants asked for the hit-by-pitch to be reviewed, and while New York was taking a look, Samardzija picked up the conversation with Fletcher.
Before Samardzija could throw another pitch, Bochy strolled to the mound and took the ball from the right-hander. Derek Holland walked the only batter he faced, and Trevor Gott gave up a sacrifice fly to Justin Turner that put the Dodgers up 3-2.
[RELATED: When Giants expect Posey back]
Over 5 1/3 innings, Samardzija allowed seven hits, three earned runs, two walks and struck out five. He was charged with the loss and saw his record fall to 3-5 on the season.
"He did a great job," Bochy said. "He should have come out of that a lot better than what he did."
There's no telling what would have transpired in the fifth if Fletcher had called Seager out on strikes, but Samardzija's day could have turned out a lot differently if the at-bat didn't continue.