One play can change the momentum of a ball game.

Tuesday night, it was a most unusual call at third base that caused the stir.

After the Buffalo Bisons jumped to an early lead, the Syracuse Chiefs turned an odd fifth inning into a momentum builder to earn a 6-4 win in front of 14,118 at Coca-Cola Field.

The loss moves the Herd four games out of the International League wild card spot with seven games remaining. The Herd is tied with Syracuse, behind Louisville after Columbus took over first place in the IL West Division.

Against Syracuse, the Bisons had a 4-3 lead in the fifth and seemed poised to add to the lead.

With one out and Jesus Feliciano at first base, Justin Turner singled to right field. Feliciano tried to take third base. Replays showed that the throw from right fielder Brian Bixler and the tag from third baseman Seth Bynum easily caught Feliciano, however third base umpire Jon Merry, who was out of position at second base, called him safe.

Syracuse argued and the umpires conferred and then overturned the decision, calling Feliciano out. It is unheard of for umpires to confer on basepath calls let alone reverse a call.

"That's the first time I've ever seen that," said Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell. "They were out of position. It cost us. It's a situation where we [would have had runners on] first and third with one out and they reverse a call. It wasn't like it was a foul ball or a fair ball. This was a play that they missed. And they missed it because of their failure to get to the bases they were supposed to be at. It ended up costing us, I feel.

"You can sit there and say if you can change a call like that, you can go out and argue every call. ... I know they're going to make mistakes. It happens. But you can't make mistakes like that in a crucial game and I really feel like it cost us the ball game."

Right after that unusual reversal, the Chiefs took hold of the game's momentum. In the sixth, a two-out double by Bynum tied the game and a single by Carlos Maldonado gave Syracuse a 5-4 lead.

This same umpiring crew worked the Bisons series over the weekend in Scranton and drew the ire of both teams for balls and strikes.

Art Thigpen in fact was accused by several Yankees of baiting Scranton reliever Jonathan Albaladejo and ejecting him Saturday night. Albaladejo, expected to get called up to the Yankees today, set the International League record this year with 43 saves.

Once the call on the field was reversed, Oberkfell went out to talk with the umpiring crew -- Thigpen, Merry and Stephen Barga. How did they explain the call?

"I'm still not sure," Oberkfell said. "The one ump said, 'We weren't in the right position and we've got to get the call right.' ... I know the rule. They didn't rotate and they were all out of position to make the call. ... I could stand here and yell at umpires all night. Bottom line [Syracuse] hit the ball well and beat us but [the call reversal] is something that can't happen."

"That's maybe a reason to have replays or something. I don't know but it's frustrating when you see players go out there and bust their tail day in, day out and to have a call like that made. To reverse a call. It's unheard of. I've never seen that in all my years of baseball where they reverse a call that's not a fair or foul ball situation. It's just a horrible call."

After the game, the New York Mets called up outfield Lucas Duda and right-handed pitcher Jenrry Mejia.

For Duda, this is his first major league call up. He went 3 for 4 Tuesday and finished with a .314 batting average, 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 70 games. He is second on the Bisons in home runs and third in RBIs. Mejia is expected to start Saturday for the Mets in Chicago.

The Bisons will host Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a doubleheader tonight (5:35 p.m., Radio 1520). Lefty Raul Valdes (1-1, 2.61 ERA) and righty Josh Stinson(1-1, 2.08) are scheduled to start for Buffalo. Hector Noesi (1-0, 6.00 ERA) will start the first game for the Yankees while other starter was not announced.

amoritz@buffnews.comnull