When a batter hinders a catcher making a play, it is basic batter interference. It usually happens that a batter swings at a pitch, misses and then falls into the space of the catcher who is attempting to throw out a runner. The batter is out and the runner(s) are returned to their previous base. […]
Most of the time when a runner is put out on the base paths, he turns and heads towards his dugout. But what happens if the “put out” runner continues to run the bases as if he believes he is still active and in play? Perhaps one of the defensive players doesn’t realize that he […]
I recently asked a coach of a Major League, pennant-contending team to estimate how many players on his team know the nuances of the Infield Fly Rule. His answer was shocking – only 50%. Everyone knows the basic requirements for an Infield Fly: Runners on 1B and 2B or bases loaded and fewer than 2 […]
This much we know: When a batter attempts to hit a pitch, whether a full swing, check swing or bunt attempt, it is a strike. But what happens when that batter attempts to hit or bunt the pitch and is then struck by the pitch? Is the batter awarded first base? Can runners advance? Can […]
Baseball games feature batboys and batgirls at all levels. Occasionally they get involved in a play and disrupt the natural course of the game. It most often occurs when a ball is hit down the baseline (fair) and the ball boy stationed in foul territory, is struck by the ball. We have all seen plays […]
The Red Sox hosted the Indians Tuesday, August 1, 2017 in a game that was highlighted by one of the most spectacular catches ever made by an outfielder at Fenway Park. A standing ovation for a visiting player is tough to come by in Boston, but that’s what Red sox fans did after witnessing Jackson’s […]
If the third out occurs at about the same time a runner is crossing the plate and the out is not the result of a force or the batter-runner making the third out before reaching first base, it’s a race against “Time.” What occurs first, the runner touching home plate or the tag of a […]
The Cardinals hosted the Marlins on Wednesday night. In the bottom of the third, Tommy Pham was batting with one out and a runner on second. Pham hit a shot toward left center. Marlins’ left fielder Marcell Ozuna appeared to have thrown his glove at the ball in an apparent attempt to stop it or […]
How did Marcell Ozuna get away with throwing his glove at the ball? Remember chasing a baseball down a sloping street, wishing desperately that you could somehow get to it before it rolled into the storm sewer? A ball in the sewer didn’t just mean the end of the game–it meant the end of the […]
MLB has rejected the Red Sox protest of the July 15 game against the Yankees. ICYMI: Review of the play To briefly review the situation (in case you missed it, see yesterday’s post, “Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry Plays Out Again”): In the top of the 11th inning the Yankees had Matt Holliday at first base and […]