Third base umpire Marty Foster kind of summed up the New York Yankees day on Monday when he said something startling to Derek Jeter.

Foster had just called Jeter out in his attempted steal of third base in the first inning of the Yankees game against the Toronto Blue Jays. When Jeter told Foster that he was not tagged by Jays third baseman Scott Rolen, Foster told Jeter that it did not matter if he slid around the tag because the ball had beaten him on the play.

“I was baffled by the explanation,” Jeter said after the game, “I was told I was out because the ball beat me. I was unaware of the change in rules.”

That play, which led to the ejection of manager Joe Girardi, was just typical of the struggle the Yankees had to overcome both the Blue Jays and the bad calls of the men in blue.

Girardi said, “I am not a big believer in perception is reality. You’re either out or you’re safe.”

The Yankees did manage to rally from a 7-1 deficit to have a chance to win the game in the ninth inning but fell just short in a 7-6 defeat. That is what called into question all those close plays on Monday that went against the Yankees when replays showed the umpires were wrong.

Jeter had drawn a walk from a very shaky Ricky Romero to open the game. Romero then committed a balk and Jeter was sent to second base. With Nick Swisher batting, Jeter took off for third and, though the ball arrived first, Jeter fooled Rolen by pulling back his left hand and putting his right hand on the bag as Rolen held the glove toward the left hand.

Foster called Jeter out much to the dismay of the Yankee Stadium crowd who had the benefit of replays that showed Jeter clearly was never tagged. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, coming to the defense of his player, was ejected from the game.

Swisher followed with a single to left that would have scored Jeter standing up. Ring up one run the umpires cost the Yankees.

Foster also declined to discuss the call with reporters after the game. Instead he sent crew chief John Hirschbeck to cover his backside. Hirschbeck said he would talk over the call with Foster on Monday or Tuesday.

Hirschbeck added that if Jeter’s account of what Foster said is true, Jeter would have a right to be confused.

Of course, that call overshadowed an even more blatant error the umpiring crew made in the bottom of the seventh inning,

Melky Cabrera opened the inning with a single to centerfield. Newly acquired reserve Eric Hinske followed with a lined single to right and the Yankees were down 7-2 at the time. Brett Gardner then sent a slow grounder to second baseman Aaron Hill.

Hill fielded the ball, turned and fired to shortstop Marco Scutaro. However, Scutaro mistimed his footwork around the bag and actually came off the bag well before the ball hit his glove. Hinske stopped to prevent being tagged out but second-base umpire Wally Bell called him out before Hinske could do anything.

For decades it has been common practice to give middle infielders the benefit of the doubt around the second-base bag. It has been called “the neighborhood play.” In other words, the umpires will give you the out if you are in the neighborhood.

However, this play — as replays clearly showed — was not even within the same zip code or even the same county. 

Perhaps Hinske would have had a chance to get to second. We will never know. But if he had the Yankees would have the bases loaded and nobody out instead of runners at first and third and one out. 

This is perhaps a another run the umpires cost the Yankees.

In the third inning, Bell blew another call. Scutaro led off the inning by drawing a walk from Yankees starter Andy Pettitte. Hill then grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Scutaro. 

Vernon Wells then followed by hitting a grounder to Jeter’s right. Jeter cut the ball off, leapt and threw across his body to Robinson Cano to get Hill at second. But Hill was ruled safe by Bell. Television replays showed the ball had beaten Hill by a half-step.

After that play, Scott Rolen struck out and it would have been the third out of the inning. However, because of Bell’s bad call Alex Rios batted and hit a three-run homer to make it 4-1. 

There were even two bang-bang calls at first base by Hirschbeck that went against the Yankees. But it seemed as if the umpires rallying cry on Monday was not “With all our might get it right” but “When in doubt the Yankees are out.”

Ricky Romero (7-3) got the dubious victory. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, gave up seven hits, three walks, threw a wild pitch, hit a batter and balked. But the umpires helped him hold his run total down to just three. He entered the game with 20 straight scoreless innings.

Andy Pettitte (8-4) took the loss. Though he seemed to throw the ball well he could not overcome the bad calls. He went six innings, gave up just five hits but walked five and was tagged with six runs. It would have been three if Bell had made the correct call before Rios hit his home run, which barely landed in the first row of the bleachers in leftfield.

Jason Frasor picked up a save, his third, he did not really deserve. Hinske struck out with the tying run at first base just after Frasor had given up a two-run single to pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui.

Despite the loss, the Yankees remain 1 game behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. The Red Sox and 42-year-old John Smoltz lost to the Oakland Athletics 6-0.

The Yankees are in Minneapolis for game against the Twins tonight. CC Sabathia (7-5, 3.85 ERA) will start for the Yankees. Scott Baker (6-6, 4.99 ERA) gets the nod for the Twins.

Gametime is 8:10 p.m. EDT.