Collisions at Home Plate – Rule 6.01 (i)
Play No. 1 The Blue Jays and Twins met at Target Field on Aug. 7, 2022. In the top of the tenth, with the score tied 2-2, the Jays had Whit Merrifield on third base and one out when Cavan Biggio hit a fly ball to left fielder Tim Beckham who threw home to catcher…
Lodged Ball Overturned by Replay
The A’s hosted the Rangers on July 22nd. In the bottom of the second, the A’s had Sky Bolt on second base and Tony Kemp on first with one out when Vimael Machin hit a drive to right field. The ball got stuck under the wall, but Rangers’ right fielder Elier Hernandez played the ball….
Three Rule Situations from the 2022 MLB Season
No. 1 In the June 4th Mets-Dodgers game there was a pitching substitution issue involving a position player. With the Dodgers trailing 9-4 entering the top of the ninth inning, Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts sent outfielder Zach McKinstry to the mound at Dodger Stadium, but Mets manager Buck Showalter said not so fast claiming a…
Batter-Runner Interference
Play No. 1 The Rangers and A’s played in Oakland on May 26th. In the bottom of the seventh, Christian Bethancourt was batting with the bases empty and no outs facing Martin Perez. Bethancourt bunted the ball between the mound and the first baseline. Perez fielded the ball and tossed to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe….
6 Rules Questions Answered by Rich Marazzi
Question #1 – Can Interference Be Unintentional Q. In the April 30th, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) vs Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles) South Atlantic League game, the following play occurred. Should the batter have been called for interference? Aberdeen had Adley Rutschman on second, Coby Mayo on first with Jacob Teter at bat and less than two outs. Mick Abel was pitching for Jersey Shore…
Failing to Return to First Base
The Orioles and A’s played in Oakland on April 21. In the top of the fourth inning Trey Mancini reached first base on an error. Once he got beyond first base, he collected himself, and turning his body toward second base he made a hop step. Walking back to the bag along the first-base line,…
Type 2 Obstruction – Here’s What You need to Know
Type 2 Obstruction (Ball Remains in Play) Under Type 2 obstruction, there is no play being directly made on the obstructed runner at the time of the obstruction. The ball is normally a long distance from the act of obstruction. The umpire signals the obstruction by pointing to the obstruction and yelling “That’s obstruction.” This…
Catcher’s Interference: A Potential Game-Changing Decision for a Manager
Perhaps the most impactful catcher’s interference call of the 2020 season occurred in the deciding game of the White Sox vs. A’s series in Oakland. With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Tommy La Stella was batting for the A’s with Sean Murphy on first base and two outs when La…
Toronto Manager Trades Out for Run, then A’s Protest Game
It isn’t often that the manager of the offensive team will argue and request a replay challenge for the purpose of adding an out to his team while they are at bat. But thanks to the age of video replay and knowledge of the force out rule, former Toronto manager John Gibbons did that on…
The New MLB Intentional Walk Rule
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….
