On Sunday the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros played at Minute Maid. In the bottom of the second, Tony Kemp was batting with the bases loaded and one out when Kemp’s swing made contact with the mitt of Royals’ catcher Drew Butera. Plate umpire Lance Barrett ruled the ball dead because it was a […]
The new MLB intentional walk rule has had little effect on the overall length of major league games. It was not a particularly bold move, but it does represent a changing of the mindset of those decision makers to speed up the pace of play. The estimated time shaving is around 35 seconds per game. […]
Cubs Manager Joe Madden is known as a free spirit: innovative and not afraid to experiment. There is no better example of this than the unique defensive configuration he employs when the Cubs are expecting a sacrifice bunt. It has happened three times so far this season – most recently in the bottom of the […]
On April 16, the Reds-Cardinals game ended on an interference call when the Cards’, Aledmys Díaz popped up almost directly above home plate and interfered with Reds’ catcher Devin Mesoraco while he was tracking the ball. Díaz, who remained in the plate area instead of running to first base, was bumped by Mesoraco as the […]
The following situation occurred in the Mickey Mantle World Series in Waterbury, Conn., on July 27, 2016, and it could very well happen in a MLB game. The series is sanctioned by the American Amateur Baseball Congress that plays under Pro rules. The Connecticut Outlaws were facing FTB Arecibo, the entry from Puerto Rico. The Outlaws […]
There are two types of umpire interference: (1) When a field umpire (the second base umpire) is positioned in front of the infielders and is struck by a batted ball that is not deflected off another fielder, and (2) when the plate umpire interferes with the catcher’s throw in an attempt to retire a runner. […]
Rule 5.08 (a) covers a “Time Play,” which is umpire lingo. The term “Time Play” is not found in the rule book. Generally speaking, when a third out occurs just before or just after a runner crosses the plate and the third out is not the result of a force out or the batter-runner being retired […]
Have you ever seen a game in which the umpires applied the incorrect rule regarding the termination of the game? Have you ever seen a defensive team appeal two runners in the same play for not touching the next base when forced? How about if it involved a game-ending play? If so, is the order […]
The Cubs beat the Reds 7-2 in 15-innings at Great American Ball Park on June 28, 2016. It proved to be a rules clinic for when a pitcher changes to a defensive position. By the 13th inning, both teams had used up their entire benches. In that inning, the Reds looked like they were mounting […]
The hidden ball trick has been around baseball as long as peanuts, popcorn and Cracker Jacks. Well known players like Juan Uribe (Dodgers) and Matt Carpenter (Cardinals) have been victimized by the rule in recent years. Tigers’ shortstop Jose Iglesias tried to pull off the stunt in the bottom of the fifth inning in Kansas […]