As the baseball cliché goes, when you go to a baseball game, you have a chance to see something you have never seen before. And during last night’s game between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, this was in fact the case, including for the announcers.
On a fly ball to right field hit by Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, Mets centre fielder Tyrone Taylor and right fielder Juan Soto converged on the ball, which was on course to land almost exactly between them. A collision was narrowly avoided, but a small tangle between the two ensued before Taylor came away with the ball.
Because of Soto running towards him and inadvertently striking him while making his own play on the ball, however, Taylor did not field the ball cleanly the first time. Instead, the ball popped out of his glove, before he caught it with his bare hand on its way down.
So Far, So Normal…
Betts was out, and a Mets crisis was averted. But what complicated the situation – and caught out the watching announcers – was what happened to the runners on base.
When Betts hit his line-out, Dodgers left fielder Michael Conforto was on second base, and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was on first. Both runners attempted to move up when they saw Conforto fumble the initial catch, and kept running after he caught the ball.
The Mets, though, thought that Ohtani would be called out at second. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor did not tag Ohtani, assuming he would be out once the ball was caught. Ohtani himself was not running at full speed and probably had his doubts. The Mets fanbase were adamant, and even the announcers expected Ohtani to be called out.
The only people who knew the rule were the umpires. Ohtani was called safe, even though Lindor had stepped on the bag long before he got there, and the decision was not overturned after a Dodgers review.
Mets Did Not Know Obscure Rule
It soon transpired that, while it was assumed by players and announcers alike that a baserunner cannot tag up until after a ball is caught, they can.
A player can tag up on a ball in the air as soon as a defensive player makes contact with it, even if that player does not then field the ball cleanly. This is to prevent a situation whereby a defensive player deliberately juggles a ball by keeping it in the air, and running towards the base runner, to prevent them from snagging a base before completing the catch.
The above image sounds farcical, and more akin to something Bugs Bunny would do. Yet Conforto’s play was effectively the real-life application of it. His juggle, while inadvertent, did trick Ohtani into tagging up – to penalise the runner, whose instinct and training says to go the instant that the fielder makes the play on the ball, would be to make players wary of tagging up in the future. And reducing aggressive baserunning would not be good for the game.
Mets Fans Were Not Impressed
Dontrelle Willis, on commentary for the Apple TV, pitched in 205 games and 1221.2 innings across his nine-year major league career with four different franchises, most notably the then-Florida Marlins. He saw some things in that time. Yet even to his veteran eye, this was a new one.
“You learn something new every day, Wayne”, Willis said to co-commentator Wayne Randazzo as the review decision came in. Umpire Marvin Hudson clarified to the fans in attendance about the first touch being the relevant one, only to hear a chorus of boos – if Major League players, coaches and broadcasters are unfamiliar with a rule, the chances of 40,449 Mets fans knowing it are rather slim.
On the broadcast, former MLB umpire Brian Gorman was called upon for his knowledge, and clarified the situation with the following:
The reason behind the touch, as opposed to when he eventually catches the ball, is that an outfielder can actually juggle the ball all the way in and prevent the guy from advancing. As soon as the ball hits the glove, he can take off.
– Brian Gorman
In the grand scheme of things, this particular instance would prove inconsequential. Betts was the last hitter faced by Mets starter Griffin Canning, yet Max Kranick in relief would give up a walk to Freddie Freeman and singles to both Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez in his first three batters faced, allowing both Conforto and Ohtani to score with ease, even if neither had been moved up. The Dodgers needed those runs, too, as they would eventually win the game 7-5 in 13 innings.
Nevertheless, as Willis said, you truly can learn something new every day. For real, this time.
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