The Minnesota Twins held a retirement celebration last weekend honoring longtime Major League Baseball umpire Phil Cuzzi, who officially stepped away from the game after more than three decades of service.

The event, which took place at Target Field, was decorated with framed scorecards and a suspicious number of printed screenshots from Ump Scorecards and gave the Twins organization an opportunity to recognize Cuzzi’s long career—while also revisiting one moment that many in Minnesota have spent the last 17 years trying to forget.

Cuzzi, 70, began as an MLB reserve umpire in 1991 and later joined the league’s full-time umpiring staff. His career covered thousands of games, numerous postseason assignments, and at least one unforgettable moment for Twins fans.

That moment came in Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS. After losing Game 1 in the Bronx, the Twins pushed Game 2 to extra innings, tied 3-3. In the 11th, Joe Mauer hit a 1-1 pitch down the left-field line. The ball hit Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera’s glove, then bounced into the stands. Fans expected Mauer to be awarded a double. Cuzzi, just feet away, immediately ruled it foul.

 

Mauer attended the retirement celebration and admitted the moment still occasionally crosses his mind.

“I remember hitting it and thinking, well, that worked out nicely,” Mauer said with a laugh. “Then I saw Phil wave his arms, and I thought maybe he wanted someone to bring him a glass of cool, refreshing Kemps milk.”

Mauer paused for a moment before smiling.

“Honestly, I figured there had to be something I missed. It turns out the only thing missing was about three feet of chalk.”

The call proved costly. Instead of standing on second with nobody out, Mauer remained at the plate, before eventually reaching first base. The Twins followed with two singles, but could not push across the go-ahead run. The Yankees eventually won the game in the bottom of the inning.

Former Twins GM Terry Ryan said the team still revisits the moment when the phrase “close call” comes up.

“I’ve seen that replay more times than I can count,” Ryan said. “Every time I watch it, I try to see it from Phil’s perspective. I squint a little, tilt my head, maybe turn the television sideways.”

Ryan shrugged,

“I still can’t find the foul ball.”

Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire also attended the event and joked that the retirement party felt like a long-overdue therapy session for everyone involved.

“I told Phil tonight that I forgive him,” Gardenhire said. “It only took about 16 years and roughly a thousand Coors Lights.”

Gardenhire added that he briefly considered bringing a chalk line to the party as a gift, but ultimately decided against it.

“I didn’t want to cause a scene,” he said. “Plus, someone might have ruled it foul.”

Cuzzi addressed the crowd later in the evening and reflected on his long career in Major League Baseball.

“Umpiring is a tough job,” Cuzzi said. “You make thousands of calls every season, and people remember the one you miss.”

Gardenhire could be heard, in a low voice, telling a joke related to that observation, having to do with masonry, carpentry, animal husbandry and the nature of fame.

Despite the lingering frustration surrounding the 2009 call, the Twins organization emphasized that the celebration was meant to recognize Cuzzi’s decades of service to the game—and maybe to give him a last chance to change his mind. Several attendees acknowledged that the play came up multiple times during the evening. At one point, the replay looped on a nearby television. The room fell silent before someone quietly suggested the camera angle may have been misleading.

The group agreed there was only one way to settle the debate: have Cuzzi watch the replay. According to attendees, he ruled it inconclusive.