Did Tommy Pham Violate Home Plate Collision Rule?
The White Sox and Brewers played at American Family Field on June 2, 2024. In the top of the eighth, Chicago had Tommy Pham on third and Nicky Lopez on second with one out when Corey Julks flied to Christian Yelich in short left center. Pham tagged-up at third and raced home. Yelich’s throw to…
Did Runner Intentionally Interfere to Avert a Double Play?
In the top of the second inning in the Yankees-Angels game played on May 29, 2024 the Yankees had Anthony Rizzo on second and Jose Trevino on first and one out when DJ LeMahieu hit a ground ball to the left side of the infield that struck Rizzo. He was called out for runner interference…
Runner’s Base Status Changes from Second to Third
The Braves hosted the Padres in the second game of a double header on May 20, 2024. In the top of the eighth, Pierce Johnson was on the mound for the Braves facing the Padres’ Jake Cronenworth with a 3-2 count. Luis Arráez was on second and Jurickson Profar was on first with two outs….
Rare Interference on Infield Fly Rule
The May 23, 2024 Orioles-White Sox game ended on a controversial note when a rare interference, Infield Fly rule ended in a double play. Here is what happened: The White Sox trailing 8-6 had Andrew Vaughn on second base and Gavin Sheets on first base with one out when Andrew Benintendi, facing Craig Kimbrel, hit…
Tampa Bay Rays Forced to Make a Pitching Change
The Rays and Red Sox played at Fenway on May 16, 2024. In the bottom of the ninth the Rays led the Sox 7-5. The Sox had Rob Refsnyder on third and Rafael Devers on first and two outs. Jason Adam was on the mound for the Rays ready to face Romy Gonzalez. Pitching coach…
Umpire Loses the Count on the Batter
The Mets hosted the Phillies on May 13, 2024. In the top of the tenth, the Phils had Bryce Harper on third and no outs. Nick Castellanos was at bat facing Sean Reid-Foley. It appeared that Castellanos walked following a 3-2 count but there was disagreement among the umpires regarding the count. As Castellanos headed…
Manager Takes Away a Run from His Team
The Reds and Padres played at Petco Park on April 30, 2024 when Padres manager Mike Shildt took away a run from his team, an unlikely scenario since managers do what they can to manufacture runs for their team. But thanks to the multi-layered catcher’s interference rule, in a certain situation managers have the option…
Should Infielders Blocking a Base Obstruction Be Reviewable?
Play No. 1 The Yankees and Guardians played a split doubleheader in Cleveland on April 13, 2024. In the top of the third of the first game, the Yankees had Juan Soto on first base and no outs when Aaron Judge flied to Tyler Freeman in short center field. Freeman, seeing Soto was a good…
The Many Layers of the Infield Fly Rule
The A’s and Rangers played at Globe Life Field on April 11, 2024. In the bottom of the seventh, the Rangers had Adolis Garcia on second and Jonah Heim on first and one out when Jared Walsh hit a fly ball in the area of the pitcher’s mound. Several A’s converged on the ball. A’s…
Home Run or Double?
The Royals hosted the White Sox on April 6, 2024. In the bottom of the seventh in a scoreless game, the Royals had Salvador Perez on first base when MJ Melendez hit a shot to deep center. The ball struck the wall and deflected off the glove of Dominic Fletcher and then carried over the…