What Happens When Two Runners are on the Same Base?
On May 20, 2023 the Orioles and Blue Jays played at the Rogers Centre. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Jays had Brandon Belt on third and Matt Chapman on second with one out when Danny Jansen hit a bouncer to O’s pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. Rodriguez ran at Belt who was heading home….
When all else fails, throw your glove at the ball
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…
Catcher’s Interference: All Runners Advanced on the Play
In previous reports, I covered the topic of catcher’s interference and how the increase in calls is concerning and is an underrated problem in the game. In two recent Red Sox games the catcher’s interference rule played a major role in victories for the Sox. In the April 15, 2023 contest between the Angels and…
Scoring a Run on a Triple Play
It’s All. About. Timing. Scoring a run on a triple play is by far one of the rarest plays in baseball. The Yankees did it the second inning against the Reds on July 25, 2017. With none out and the bases loaded, Todd Frazier, hero of the Tom’s River, NJ, Little League World Champions, a…
MLB Hitter Smacks HR But Misses 1B…Umps Didn’t See It But…
Missing a base on a home run is a rarity on any level of baseball, especially in the major and minor leagues. According to data at retrosheet.com, it appears the last home run in the major leagues to be lost due to a player failing to touch a base happened on June 17, 1983, when…
Bob Melvin Ejected After Call Overturned to Illegally Blocking the Plate
The Nationals hosted the Padres on Aug. 13, 2022. In the bottom of seventh with the score tied 3-3, the Nats had Cesar Hernandez on second base and one out when Victor Robles hit safely to right field. Juan Soto fired to catcher Austin Nola and plate umpire Paul Emmel called Hernandez out. Nats’ skipper…
Batter Cannot Cause Balk – MLB Umpire Misses the Call
Batter’s Actions Cause Pitcher to Balk On July 11, 2017, the Rockies hosted the D’backs. In the bottom of second, the Rockies had Ian Desmond on first and Gerardo Parra on third with two outs and Tony Wolters at bat facing Jorge De La Rosa. Wolters asked for a “late” time out which was not…
