It was a check swing.

"Facing a thick wall of reporters at his locker, Ryan said he would have no comment on the final pitch and then praised Humber for his performance, talking about his great slider and 'A-plus-plus stuff.' When this was met with a brief silence, Ryan said, 'Everyone wants to talk about the checked swing, huh?'

Well, since you brought it up ...

'The closer they get, the more borderline things may go (the pitcher's way),' Ryan said. 'Because that's just the way things go. I just wanted to be more aggressive.'

When someone mentioned that Humber's reaction to the pitch looked as if he thought he had just thrown ball four, Ryan said, 'It was, it was.' He paused and quickly added, 'Hmm, I don't want to finish that.'

'When you're in that situation, you have to be a little more aggressive to anything around the plate,' Ryan continued. 'I mean, that's just the way it has to be. The fans want to see it. So anything that's kind of gray, you have to at least get a piece of.' "

It is interesting how many people see what they want to see.

"It was the right call, given the situation," or some such reaction.

Alright, alright, I give up. But just don't tell me that guy swung at that pitch. I watch enough baseball to know better.