Catchers Blocking the Plate in 2023 MLB Season
Catcher Legally blocks the Plate on Throw from Drawn-In Infielder The Royals hosted the Reds on June 12, 2023. In the top of the 10th, the Reds had TJ Friedl on third base and one out with the score tied 4-4 when Jonathan India hit a ground ball to third baseman Maikel Garcia who threw…
Javier Baez Confuses Pirates When He Runs From 1B to Home
Rule 5.08 (a) says that no run can score when the batter-runner makes the third out before he touches first base, or if the inning ends in a force. The Pirates hosted the Cubs on Thursday afternoon. In the top of the third, Javier Baez was batting with Willson Contreras on second base and two…
Play Ruled Dead Following Backswing Interference
The Phils and Nationals played at Nationals Park on September 30, 2022. In the bottom of the seventh, the Nationals had Luis Garcia on second and two outs. Victor Robles was batting with a 2-1 count facing Zach Eflin. Robles swung through the pitch and made contact with Phils catcher J.T. Realmuto on his follow-through…
Batter Interferes With Catcher’s Throw – Two MLB Examples
Two Batter Interference plays that occurred six days apart are worth a look. Play Number 1 On August 31, 2017, the Astros hosted the Rangers at Tropicana Field in Florida because of Hurricane Harvey. In the bottom of the first, the Astros had George Springer on first base and no outs when Alex Bregman swung…
Three Rule Situations from the 2022 MLB Season
No. 1 In the June 4th Mets-Dodgers game there was a pitching substitution issue involving a position player. With the Dodgers trailing 9-4 entering the top of the ninth inning, Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts sent outfielder Zach McKinstry to the mound at Dodger Stadium, but Mets manager Buck Showalter said not so fast claiming a…
Type 2 Obstruction in 2023 MiLB Game
In a recent Triple-A minor league game the batter-runner was obstructed by the first baseman who was fielding an errant throw from third base. As the first baseman went after the ball, he made contact with the batter- runner who was attempting to go to second. The batter-runner jogged to second, then turned it on…
Spectator Interference?
The Twins and Tigers played at Comerica Park on September 30, 2022. In the top of the fourth inning the Twins had Gio Urshela on first base and one out when Ryan Jeffers, facing Tyler Alexander, hit a shot down the left field line. With the naked eye it appeared that the ball touched one…
Batting Out of Turn
I recently received this question from a coach. What should we do if we notice that an opposing player has batted out of turn? That’s a good question and one that is difficult to understand even among the best baseball minds. Let’s explore the Batting Out of Turn Rule 6.03 (b) and apply it for…
What Happens When a Batter/Runner Overruns First Base on Walk?
A base on balls entitles the batter to go to first base. But is the batter, now a batter/runner permitted to overrun 1B like he can if he has a base hit? This is one of the most misunderstood rules in baseball. It is time you learned it once and for all. Chris Welsh and…
