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ST. LOUIS, MO. -- Baseball fans take their sport seriously, but just how necessary is an infrared "Hot Spot" playback camera? Despite spectator smirks, Fox's new gadget captured a game-changing moment in ninth inning of the first World Series game.

After the Texas Rangers' Adrian Beltre chopped Jason Motte's pitch off his foot, he cried "foul" when the umpires called him out. Fox's heat-seeking camera did indeed prove the ball bounced off his left cleat and should have been a foul ball. 

But despite Beltre and manager Ron Washington's arguments, the umpires didn't see the bounce in the video replay and declared him out, giving the Cardinals an advantage that later sealed their 3-2 victory.

The infrared camera captured what normal replay cameras couldn't--the heat signature of the ball off Beltre's cleat.

Watch: Infrared replay pinpoints foul ball

A sports journalist for the Columbia Daily Tribune maintains the camera's contributions were insignficant at the end of the day and the device was just another Fox technological dud.

"But what does this really add? It gives Rangers fans something to whine about, it provides instant-replay supporters something else to harp on and it allows Fox to feel more self-righteous about its ridiculous innovations." he wrote.

But a Yahoo! sports contributor wrote he pitied the Rangers for the unfortunate call, even though their performance for the rest of the inning ultimately determined the loss.

"The umpires do owe the Rangers one. And all of you snarky people owe Hot Spot "They Live" cam an apology. Sorry, Hottie!" he joked.

Do high profile games need high tech cameras for tough calls or is it just a game at the end of the day?