Braves' protest denied by MLB

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ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves had their protest of the NL wild-card playoff game at Turner Field denied on Friday night after fans littered the field with trash over a disputed infield fly call that led to a 19-minute delay.

Trailing 6-3 in the eighth inning Friday, the Braves appeared to catch a break when a fly ball to short left field dropped between St. Louis shortstop Pete Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday after a mix-up over who had it.

But just before the ball dropped, left-field umpire Sam Holbrook signaled an automatic out because of the infield fly rule, designed to prevent a team from intentionally dropping a popup in order to get extra outs with more than one runner on base.

Instead of Atlanta having the bases loaded with one out, Andrelton Simmons was called out. The fans immediately started hurling cups and trash, covering the field.

The Cardinals went on to win the game, and afterward, Major League Baseball said it had denied the Braves' protest, saying it was an umpire's judgment call on the play.

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