Instant replay in baseball has removed much of the time-honored tradition of managers shouting at a group of umpires after a controversial decision, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter got his fill of arguing Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
With runners on first and third base in the sixth inning and reliever Richard Bleier protecting a 3-2 lead, the crafty left-hander got Neil Walker to tap a sinker softly down the third base line. Bleier fielded it and chased Giancarlo Stanton back up the third base line, starting a 1-5-2 rundown that retired Stanton.
But as catcher Caleb Joseph chased Stanton back toward third base, catcher Gary Sánchez advanced from first all the way to third and was on the bag. So Stanton ran past third base without tagging the bag, and Joseph chased Stanton beyond the base into foul territory.
Showalter lobbied extensively for both runners to be out, either under the auspices that they both occupied third base at once or that Sánchez overtook Stanton. After the umpires conferred, they left Sánchez at third base, and Showalter argued his case some more.
MLB Rule 5.09 codifies all the ways a runner can make an out, including passing a runner. Clause (b)(9) stipulates such a play as follows, with the following example, which suits this almost perfectly:
“Runners on second base and third base with one out. The runner from third base (i.e., the lead runner) makes an advance toward home and is caught in a rundown between third base and home plate. Believing the lead runner will be tagged out, the runner at second base (i.e. the trailing runner) advances to third base. Before being tagged, the lead runner runs back to and beyond third base toward left field. At this time, the trailing runner has passed the lead runner as a result of the lead runner’s actions. As a result, the trailing runner is out and third base is unoccupied. The lead runner is entitled to third base if he returns to touch it before he is out, see Rule 5.06(a)(1), unless he is declared out for abandoning the bases.”
The umpires didn’t signal that Stanton had left the base path, and one batter later, Ronald Torreyes grounded out to third base to make the matter moot.
Once the game went to extra innings, the Yankees had cause to take up with the umpires over a rule interpretation, though they didn’t do it in a fiery display like Showalter.
With runners on second and third and two outs in the 11th inning, Orioles reliever Mychal Givens yanked a slider for a wild pitch past Joseph. But Joseph sprung to action and retrieved the ball, flipping it to Givens as he slid in to receive the ball at home plate. While sliding, Givens ultimately blocked the plate, and his legs prevented Gregorius from tagging the plate before Givens tagged him.
And though a recent rule change prevented catchers from blocking the plate, the relevant rule — Rule 6.01 — says nothing of pitchers covering the plate, and Givens was making a play to catch the ball.
The play was ultimately reviewed and upheld, with the replay officials finding no violation.
This story will be updated.