Umpire Calls “Time” While Runner Sprints Toward Home
Umpires are allowed to call “Time” under many conditions. But when should an umpire be prohibited from calling “Time?” The top of the ninth inning of the Yankees-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday turned into one of the most bizarre half innings of the season as multiple rules surfaced on the same play. When…
Outfielder’s Throw is Deflected into Dead Ball Territory
Whenever a thrown, pitched, or batted ball is deflected into dead ball territory, umpires must be able to make the proper base award and coaches should be able to determine if the base award was proper. This can impact the outcome of a game. Thrown Ball Deflected into Dead Ball Territory Take what occurred when…
The George Brett Pine Tar Game was not the First Pine Tar Game
It was a steamy July day in New York and George Brett was on fire. He had just stroked a Goose Gossage four-seamer into the Yankee Stadium bleachers for a dramatic two out, ninth inning, home run that put the Royals up 5-4. The Yankees manager, Billy Martin, decided to protest the home run based…
Marisnick Lucroy Brutal Collision Legal or Not?
Marisnick/Lucroy Collision at the Plate Perhaps the most egregious runner/catcher collision of the 2019 season occurred in the Angels-Astros game on July 7, in Houston, when the Astros’ Jake Marisnick ran over Angels’ catcher Jonathan Lucroy. With the game tied at 10-10 and one out in the bottom of the eighth, Angels’ reliever Hansel Robles…
When a ball off the wall is really a home run.
Play #1 After review, Kipnis’ Home Run becomes a triple The Tigers and Indians played in Cleveland on Friday, June 21, 2019. In the bottom of the eighth, the Indians had a runner on first base and no outs when Jason Kipnis hit a ball that was originally ruled a home run by second base…
Recent protest has many asking, “What is a protest?”
With last month’s Cubs-Nationals game ending in a protest from Joe Maddon, the topic of protesting in baseball came back to life. Although it is rare, with protests only being upheld 15 times in Major League Baseball history, it allows teams an avenue to enforce the Official Rules of Baseball at times when the umpires…
Is this Batter out of the Batter’s Box? Red Sox Manager Thinks So
There is nothing like a 17-inning loss to get a manager’s emotions running hot. When the Red Sox and Twins played a 5-hour 45-minute marathon game, June 17, 2019, Red Sox manager, Alex Cora watched his team walked off by a game winning single by Max Kepler. But earlier in the 17th inning, Cora had…
Dexter Fowler Catches Dead Ball for Last Out of Game “How does that happen?”
The Phillies were batting with two out in the 9th inning of their game with the St. Louis Cardinals, May 29, 2019, when Andrew McCutchen lofted a fly ball down the right field line. The ball drifted away from the field of play and into the stands when a fan reached up and touched the…
A Bobble in Real Time is a Catch in Slo-Mo
What Happened? Rich Marazzi: The Marlins beat the Tigers 5-4 in 11 innings on Tuesday night. A costly overturn of a “no catch” on the field call could have contributed to the Tigers’ defeat. The Tigers were batting in the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and third and one out when Ronny…
