Recent protest has many asking, “What is a protest?”
With last month’s Cubs-Nationals game ending in a protest from Joe Maddon, the topic of protesting in baseball came back to life. Although it is rare, with protests only being upheld 15 times in Major League Baseball history, it allows teams an avenue to enforce the Official Rules of Baseball at times when the umpires…
Texas Two-Step; Edwards told to change, Doolittle, too late
The ninth inning of the May 18 game between the Washington Nationals and the visiting Chicago Cubs began like any other late-inning, three-run game. Nationals closer Sean Doolittle toed the slab in a save situation and retired Albert Almora Jr. for the first out. The next pitch is where the controversy officially became a game…
Special Update: Red Sox Protest Denied!
MLB has rejected the Red Sox protest of the July 15 game against the Yankees. ICYMI: Review of the play To briefly review the situation (in case you missed it, see yesterday’s post, “Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry Plays Out Again”): In the top of the 11th inning the Yankees had Matt Holliday at first base and…
Do-Overs in Baseball
Ump Calls Time Before Pitch The most common “Do-Over” is when an umpire calls “Time” just before the pitcher delivers the pitch. Rule 8.03 (b) (2) empowers all umpires on the field to call “Time” for legal cause. An unexpected “Time” call once took away a win and a grand slam home run. In the…