Pop-Up Chaos: Interference? Obstruction? Infield Fly? You Be the Umpire
Leave it to Rich Marazzi to find quirky plays that make you scratch your head. This is a report similar to those that Marazzi sends to his MLB team clients. It is a great example of how difficult it is to umpire at game speed when several things go crazy on the same play. Watch…
Umpire Calls “Time” While Runner Sprints Toward Home
Umpires are allowed to call “Time” under many conditions. But when should an umpire be prohibited from calling “Time?” The top of the ninth inning of the Yankees-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday turned into one of the most bizarre half innings of the season as multiple rules surfaced on the same play. When…
Dodgers and Angels Players Ignore Umpires…What Happens Next is Chaos
The Onus is on the Defensive Team not to Play on a Retired Runner The Dodgers and Angels played in Anaheim on July 6th. In the top of the sixth the Dodgers had Justin Turner on second and Cody Bellinger on first with one out when Matt Kemp singled to left scoring Turner. Justin Upton…
How a Minor League Hidden Ball Tricked Worked
The Carolina Mudcats (Brewers) executed the hidden ball trick, one of baseball’s oldest ruses, when they hosted the Buies Creek Astros of the Class A Advanced Carolina League on May 3. In the top of the seventh inning, the Astros, with runners on first and second, pulled off a successful double steal when the Mudcats’…
Double Switch Delirium Reds Send Wrong Players into the Field
Someone once said, “Patience is the mother of all virtues.” That certainly holds true in the baseball sense. Every major league and minor league manager and bench coach needs to show patience in certain situations to maximize the benefits of the rule book. As we saw last week, Reds’ interim manager Jim Riggleman showed his…
Red Sox Catcher Nabbed for Detached Equipment Rule Violation
You cannot assume your players know even the most basic rules. Take what happened at Fenway Park on May 1, 2018, when the Red Sox hosted the Royals. In the top of the 10th inning with the score tied 3-3, the Royals had runners on first and second and two outs when Sox catcher Christian…
