With one out and one on, the third Giants batter of the day, Buster Posey, hit an RBI double to right field, scoring Gregor Blanco for the game's first run. Meanwhile, in the Dodgers dugout, bench coach Trey Hillman noticed something awry.
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| The official card had Posey as cleanup. |
Posey had been entered onto the official lineup card—exchanged at home plate with the umpires prior to the game—as the fourth batter with Pablo Sandoval listed as third.
Accordingly, Hillman and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly waited until Posey's damaging base hit before addressing HP Umpire and UIC Tony Randazzo with the batting out of order appeal.
After a discussion with crew chief Brian Gorman and umpires Manny Gonzalez and Larry Vanover, Randazzo invoked Official Baseball Rule 6.07 and ruled the proper batter—Sandoval—out, nullifying the improper batter's—Posey—double to the wall, sending Blanco back to third base.
Rule 6.07:
(a) A batter shall be called out, on appeal, when he fails to bat in his proper turn, and another batter completes a time at bat in his place.
(b) When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and the defensive team appeals to the umpire before the first pitch to the next batter of either team, or before any play or attempted play, the umpire shall (1) declare the proper batter out; and (2) nullify any advance or score made because of a ball batted by the improper batter or because of the improper batter's advance to first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise.Pursuant to the terms of Rule 6.07, the improper batter (Posey) could have been replaced with the proper batter (Sandoval) at any time during the at bat without penalty, a fact that lends credence to the characterization of the Dodgers' appeal as "timely."
Following the Sandoval out (scored as a putout for the catcher), Posey flied out to end the inning.
This marks the first batting out of order and appealed out situation in MLB since June 19, 2010, when Marlins batter Brian Barden's 9th inning walk was wiped out and Wes Helms was declared out for the Rule 6.07 violation following Rays manager Joe Maddon's appeal to HP Umpire Lance Barksdale and crew chief Tom Hallion. This play resulted in Barksdale's ejection of Marlins skipper Fredi Gonzalez, who claimed Barksdale wrote down the Marlins' substitutions incorrectly on the lineup card (Ejections: Lance Barksdale-1).
Video: After RBI, Dodgers appeal and umpires rule the Giants out under the Batting Out of Turn rule (FOX)
Video: Don Mattingly discusses the process of appealing the batting out of order violation (FOX)
Video: Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti blames technology—of all things—for the mishap (FOX)
Pretty simple - even the announcers from both teams had a clue about what was going on. What is amazing is that, with the 500 coaches teams have, all the computers, all the support people - somebody still hands the wrong lineup card to the ump.
ReplyDeleteBlaming technology is such an old man thing to say. Someone probably put it into the computer wrong.
ReplyDeleteBlaming technology is such an old man thing to say. If that is the case then there is no way we can have a computer call balls and strikes.
ReplyDeleteGive credit to Mattingly here. In his in-game interview, it appears he understands EXACTLY how a manager should handle a BOO situation. His comments gave the impression that he would have waited for a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation, even if it were later in the game.
ReplyDeleteNote to coaches like Bochy (and umpires like West)....STOP RELYING ON THE DAMNED TECHNOLOGY for simple things like balls and strikes and batting order! Use what you have!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, but we couldn't IMO. Computers are good for some things, but removing the human element would be simply silly. =-)
ReplyDeleteGerry Davis is wearing the light blue uniform today. He used to demand only dark blue.
ReplyDeleteHe is also wearing someone else's shirt. Looks like Conroy's #98.
ReplyDeleteCorrect.
ReplyDeleteDoug Eddings has ejected B.J. Upton for arguing a called third strike in the top half of the fifth inning in Philadelphia. Chris Johnson almost followed him.
ReplyDeleteVery underrated move the Dodgers made - hiring Trey Hillman as a bench coach. Hillman is the brains behind the operation here; Mattingly has an idea, but the BC's job here is to scout that visiting team's lineup and point out the anomalies. Trey found the problem, alerted his skip and got the appeal before the next batter (who I assume was "Sandoval"). I'm also pretty sure it was Hillman who told Mattingly that if Posey made out without scoring the run (e.g., not a sac fly), they wouldn't appeal yet but if Posey did some damage, they would.
ReplyDeleteHonestly one of the best bench coaches in the game and probably the only reason Don Mattingly hasn't yet been fired.
I take it his gear is stuck in customs from New York >)
ReplyDelete