Watch: Did this controversial call cost Julio Urias a chance at history?

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was chasing perfection against the San Francisco Giants before a dubious check swing helped spoil his outing.

The difference between a perfect game and just another start can come down to the finest margins. In the middle of a season jam-packed with no-hitters, there’s a reason no one has achieved perfection.

In fact, no MLB pitcher has managed a perfect game since 2012. It’s hard to do.

It’s particularly tough if the umpires miss a call that helps to blow a no-hitter.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias found that out the hard way as he faced the Giants on Sunday.

That’s Mike Tauchman checking his swing well across the plate in the sixth inning after Urias had made it through 16 batters without giving up a hit or a walk. The officials called it a ball.

A check swing may have been the difference for Julio Urias’ perfect game bid

Here’s the video of the check swing that was pretty clearly a swing and strike:

There’s no telling how the game might have gone for Urias if the umpire had called that a strike. Tauchman would have struck out and Caleb Baragar would have come to the plate with two outs. Urias struck him out looking, which would have then ended the inning. Things might have played out a million different ways from there.

Instead, Tauchman reached on an infield single to break up the perfect game, then Barager struck out with one out. Austin Slater came to the plate and hit a two-run home run for the Giants’ first points. Urias gave up one more hit in the inning to Donovan Solano before retiring Mike Yastrzemski. Urias was replaced for the seventh inning.

Maybe he would have given up a hit or two either way. Maybe he would have kept dealing and made it through to the ninth unblemished. It’s a shame we won’t get to find out because of such a blatant missed call.

In the end, it didn’t hurt the Dodgers in any real way. Urias got the win comfortably with 10 strikeouts in six innings pitched. Los Angeles got the win 11-5 to complete the rivalry sweep in San Francisco.