Batter Drops Bat (no intentional interference), Ball Touches Bat and Stays in Fair Territory
Catcher’s Interference: A Potential Game-Changing Decision for a Manager
Perhaps the most impactful catcher’s interference call of the 2020 season occurred in the deciding game of the White Sox vs. A’s series in Oakland. With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Tommy La Stella was batting for the A’s with Sean Murphy on first base and two outs when La…
How a Smart Baserunner Can Exploit the Basepath Rules
In the game of baseball, as in all major sports, coaches instruct their players to take what the defense gives them. Conversely, it would be a good idea for defensive players to take what the offense gives them. Let’s look at the following play. The Cardinals and Pirates played two games on Sept. 18 at…
Base Awards on Throws from the Outfield
The Blue Jays hosted the Rays on Aug. 16th when a base award issue emerged. In the top of the fifth, the Rays had Yandy Diaz on first and two outs when Ji-Man Choi hit a shot that went to the right field corner. Jays’ right fielder Teoscar Hernandez fielded the ball and fired it…
Ask the Rules Guy Episode #2 – MLB Official Scorer and NFHS Umpire
Ask the Rules Guy Episode #1 Rich Marazzi – Runner’s Lane Interference, Obstruction, & more…
Rules Expert Rich Marazzi joins Chris Welsh for a lively discussion about runner’s lane interference, obstruction (several different examples) and a crazy MLB home run where the batter that hit the HR didn’t score the run.
That Time Jean Segura Stole 1B, Really!
Segura Almost Steals Second Base Twice in the Same Inning Before you read the report below, I would suggest you watch it first. After viewing the play, read the report and watch the video again. There’s much to digest here. The full MLB Youtube Video here: https://youtu.be/HZM1JcJwo9E The Play Can a runner steal the same…
Hidden Ball Trick by Rich Marazzi
The Hidden Ball Trick in baseball has been around as long as peanuts, popcorn and Cracker Jack. Many runners have been caught napping over the years by clever thinking infielders who have used a variety of tactics to execute the ancient ruse. Former shortstop Gene “Stick” Michael was one of the great hidden ball tricksters…
Do-Overs in Baseball
Ump Calls Time Before Pitch The most common “Do-Over” is when an umpire calls “Time” just before the pitcher delivers the pitch. Rule 8.03 (b) (2) empowers all umpires on the field to call “Time” for legal cause. An unexpected “Time” call once took away a win and a grand slam home run. In the…