One of the most intriguing plays of the first half of the 2024 season occurred in Anaheim where the Astros and Angels played on June 9, 2024.

In the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 7-7, the Angels had Kevin Pillar on first and one out when Logan O’Hoppe drilled a Josh Hader pitch deep to the left field wall. Astros left fielder Trey Cabbage snared the ball in his glove but lost it as he leaped over the wall. O’Hoppe’s hit was a home run but Pillar thought the ball was caught.

Pillar reached second base and took a step toward third while keeping his anchor or pivot foot on the base. He subsequently planted both feet on the base before he attempted to return to first.

O’Hoppe was made aware by first base coach Bo Porter, that if he kept running that he would pass Pillar and be called out. So, O’Hoppe raced back to first base to stay behind Pillar. As you will see on the video, Porter did a great job directing traffic keeping the runners in the proper order. Porter was also aware that he could not touch or physically assist either of the two runners or the runner would be out because of coach interference.

Once the runners were in order, they proceeded to circle the bases and the game ended with the Angels winning, 9-7.

The four umpires (John Tumpane, Nick Mahrley, Jonathan Parra, and Hunter Wendelstedt) met and decided there was no violation on the play and the game was officially ended. The umpires had to determine if Pillar made a proper retouch of second base, if O’Hoppe passed Pillar, and if Porter physically assisted either runner. There was a lot to unpack.

Following the game, O’Hoppe said to Brent Maguire of mlb.com, “It’s a big one. I’m still not sure what happened.”

Check out the Jomboy breakdown of the play:

Here is the regular view:

Ruleball Comments

1. This type of situation is the most common play that leads to the passing the runner violation per rule 5.09 (b) (9). If O’Hoppe never returned to first base and kept running, he would have passed Pillar and would have been called out because he was the trail runner.
2. Thanks to the clever coaching of first base coach Bo Porter, he kept the runners in proper order during a hectic few seconds.
3. Porter wisely never physically assisted O’Hoppe or Pillar. If he did, the runner who was assisted would have been called out. Porter made sure that O’Hoppe stayed behind Pillar without having contact with either runner.
4. When I initially saw the video, it appeared that Porter had touched O’Hoppe to assist him, but as the video progressed it was apparent that Porter did not violate the coach interference rule.
5. If O’Hoppe passed Pillar he would have been credited with a single, his fourth hit of the game.
6. If Pillar was passed by O’Hoppe, Pillar still would have been able to circle the bases and he would score the winning run because there were less than two outs. If O’Hoppe was the third out, no run would score.
7. Pillar did an excellent job getting to second base on the long fly ball and retouching second base, by rule, on his return to first. He maintained his pivot or anchor foot on the base before spinning back to first. Go to the 2:28 mark of the Jomboy video to see the retouch. I think players on all levels should see this.
8. If Pillar had picked up his right foot (anchor foot) and failed to retouch the base with either foot on his return, he could have been called out on appeal. And if O’Hoppe continued to run in that situation, he would be called out for passing Pillar, and the Astros would have completed a bizarre double play. 
9. My only question regarding Pillar is, did he check the umpire’s signal before retreating? Did the third base coach also check the umpire’s signal regarding the boundary fly ball?   
10. Both runners were active runners meaning that neither one had been called out, nor had either one scored. Because they were both active runners, they had the right to physically assist each other. When O’Hoppe  saw Pillar  returning to first base, he could have physically held him up. Or, Pillar could have physically stopped O’Hoppe from passing him.
11. From my experience, most players are not aware that if they are an active runner they are permitted to physically assist a teammate.
12. The first base coach in such a situation is vital to the success of the play and Porter did a hell of a job.

Runners, First Base Coach, First Base Umpire, and Opposing Manager Fixated on the Ball

One of the worst habits that players have regarding fly balls is they track the ball and are oblivious to the underbelly of the play. And sometimes the base coach and the umpire watch the flight of the ball like a fan. In the following play, we had a passing the runner violation, but nobody picked it up including the batter- runner, the first base coach, the first base ump, and the opposing bench because all were watching the play in the outfield.

The Cardinals beat the Brewers 7-0 in St. Louis on April 14, 2016. In the third inning, the Cards’ Randal Grichuk hit a shot to deep center off Wily Peralta that went off the glove and over the wall of leaping Brewers’ center fielder Keon Broxton for a two-run homer. However, Brandon Moss, the runner on first base, retreated to first to tag-up in case the ball was caught. Grichuk, who did not locate Moss, passed him by a few feet as he rounded first base. Grichuk, the trail runner, should have been called out but nobody (the four umpires-Bill Miller hp, John Hirschbeck 1b, Bill Welke 2b, and Vic Carapazza 3b, and the Brewers bench) saw the violation.

The play was the responsibility of the first base umpire who should be in a position to line up the tag-up. While in that position he can see the tag-up (if there is one) and the passing of the runner, if that should occur. It’s possible that at least two of the other three umpires could have glanced at the play but they had other initial responsibilities.

“Our eyes all missed it,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell conceded to MLB.com reporter Adam McCalvy. This explains why Counsell did not challenge the play. “The umpires missed it, the video guys didn’t get it until too late,” Counsell said. “We just missed it. It’s on us. I do think missed the call, but with replay we have the same power that he does, in a sense.”

McCarver Loses Grand Slam

Cards’ broadcaster Tim McCarver said, “The Cardinals get a two-run break. That’s an oversight by the umpires.” McCarver is no stranger to the rule. He lost a grand slam homer on July 4, 1976, the 200^th anniversary of our country because he passed a runner. Playing for the Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pirates, McCarver went yard in top of the second with the bases loaded off Larry Demery, and like Grichuk, passed Garry Maddox, the runner on first base, who like Moss, retreated to first base. McCarver ran by Maddox and was called out by umpire Ed Vargo for passing Maddox.

“I never saw Maddox,” lamented McCarver, who along with thousands of Phillies fans will never forget his grand slam single.

Rich Marazzi

Rules consultant/analyst:  Angels, D’backs, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox, Rangers, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees, YES, and NBC Sports Chicago.