MLB Ejections 052-053 - Bill Welke (4-5 - Hosmer, Yost)

HP Umpire Bill Welke ejected Royals 1B Eric Hosmer & Manager Ned Yost (check swing call by 3B Umpire David Rackley) in the top of the 1st inning of the Royals-Indians game. With none out and two on (R1, R2), Hosmer attempted to check his swing on a 1-2 slider from Twins pitcher Danny Salazar. Play was reviewed and affirmed by the UEFL Appeals Board (9-0-0), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 5-2.

This is Bill Welke (3)'s fourth, fifth ejection of the 2017 MLB regular season.
Bill Welke now has 7 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Previous + 2*[2 MLB + 1 Call-Crewmate] = 7).
Crew Chief Alfonso Marquez now has 5 points in Crew Division (3 Previous + 2 Correct Call = 5).

This is the 52nd, 53rd ejection report of 2017.
This is the 19th player ejection of 2017. Prior to ejection, Hosmer was 0-1 (SO) in the contest.
This is the 29th Manager ejection of 2017.
This is Kansas City's 1/2nd ejection of 2017, T-1st in the AL Central (CWS, KC, MIN 2; DET 1; CLE 0).
This is Eric Hosmer's first ejection since May 4, 2016 (CB Bucknor; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Ned Yost's first ejection since September 19, 2016 (Toby Basner; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Bill Welke's 4th ejection of 2017, 1st since May 9 (Kevin Cash; QOC = Y [Balk]).

Wrap: Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians, 5/27/17 | Videos via "Read More"

MLB Ejection 050-051 - Will Little (1-2; Lowrie, Melvin)

HP Umpire Will Little ejected A's 2B Jed Lowrie (strike three call) and Manager Bob Melvin (strike three call) in the top of the 8th inning of the Athletics-Yankees game. With none out and none on, Lowrie took a 2-2 fastball from Yankees pitcher Tyler Clippard for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -.571, pz 1.426 [sz_bot 1.535 / MOE 1.452 / pz_radius 1.551]), the call was correct.* With one out and none on, A's batter Trevor Plouffe took a 1-2 slider from Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and above the midpoint (px -.382, pz 3.697 [sz_top 3.467 / MOE 3.550 / pz_radius 3.573]), the call was incorrect. At the time of both ejections, the Yankees were leading, 3-2. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Will Little (93)'s first, second ejection of the 2017 MLB regular season.
Will Little now has 1 point in the UEFL Standings (-1 Previous + 4 MLB + 2 QOCY - 4 QOCN = 1).
Crew Chief Jeff Kellogg now has 5 points in Crew Division (4 Previous + 1 Correct Call + 0 N = 5).
*An Overwhelming Exemption has been initiated. See Miller Rule 6-2-b-2, 9-2, and :58 of the video.

This is the 50th, 51st ejection report of 2017.
This is the 18th player ejection of 2017. Prior to ejection, Lowrie was 0-4 (3 SO) in the contest.
This is the 28th Manager ejection of 2017.
This is Oakland's 3rd/4th ejection of 2017, 1st in the AL West (OAK 4; SEA, TEX 2; HOU, LAA 0).
This is Jed Lowrie's first career MLB ejection.
This is Bob Melvin's 2nd ejection of 2017, 1st since May 20 (Mike Winters; QOC = Y [Base Award]).
This is Will Little's first ejection since October 1, 2016 (Yoenis Cespedes; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees, 5/27/17 | Videos via "Read More"

Major League Debut of Umpire John Libka (84)

Umpire John Libka makes his MLB debut during Saturday's Tigers-White Sox game in Chicago, joining Tom Hallion's crew for two games of the DET-CWS doubleheader, serving as first base umpire alongside HP Umpire Nic Lentz, 2B Umpire Tom Hallion, and 3B Umpire Phil Cuzzi for Game 1, and as third base umpire alongside HP Umpire Vic Carapazza, 1B Umpire Hallion, and 2B Umpire Cuzzi for Game 2.

Umpire John Libka.

Libka is on the Pacific Coast League roster for the 2017 season, which is his second season in the PCL and second overall in Triple-A (2016 PCL). He has also worked the Gulf Coast, New York-Penn, Midwest, Florida State, Eastern, and Arizona Fall Leagues, in addition to MLB Spring Training.

Libka wears the uniform number 84 at the Major League level, which was last worn by Angel Campos, and makes his MLB debut at the age of 29. He resides in Port Huron, Michigan, instructs at the Wendelstedt School, and is the second new fill-in umpire to make his debut during the 2017 regular season (Ryan Additon, 5/21/17). Both Libka and Additon officiated the 2017 AFL Fall Stars Game.

Libka most recently worked the plate for Wednesday's PCL matchup between the Las Vegas 51s and Round Rock Express in Round Rock, Texas; The first game of Friday's originally scheduled doubleheader in Chicago was postponed due to wet field conditions.

MLB Ejection 049 - Jim Reynolds (1; Craig Counsell)

HP Umpire Jim Reynolds ejected Brewers Manager Craig Counsell (Replay Review; upheld out call) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the Diamondbacks-Brewers game. With two out and two on (R1, R3), Brewers baserunner R3 Eric Thames attempted to score on a curveball in the dirt from Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Godley that eluded catcher Chris Iannetta, who retrieved the ball and threw to Godley covering as Thames arrived at home plate. Upon Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Brewers Manager Counsell, HP Umpire Reynolds' out call was affirmed, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 1-0. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 4-2, in 10 innings.

This is Jim Reynolds (77)'s first ejection of the 2017 MLB regular season.
Jim Reynolds now has 2 points in the UEFL Standings (-2 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 2).
Crew Chief Jim Reynolds now has 6 points in Crew Division (5 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 6).

This is the 49th ejection report of 2017.
This is the 27th Manager ejection of 2017.
This is Milwaukee's 2nd ejection of 2017, 2nd in the NL Central (PIT, STL 3; MIL 2; CHC, CIN 0).
This is Craig Counsell's first ejection since September 21, 2016 (Jerry Layne; QOC = U [Fair/Foul]).
This is Jim Reynolds' first ejection since August 3, 2016 (Corey Kluber; QOC = Y [Out/Safe]).

Wrap: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 5/26/17 | Videos via "Read More"

MLB Admits Error on Swinging HBP Strike Non-Review

Despite on-field umpires accepting Boston's challenge of a hit-by-pitch during a swinging strike no-call, a Replay Official failed to review the play, leading MLB to issue a rare statement purporting that its replay staff made a mistake by not reviewing the call.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time this type of replay non-review has occurred, and it's not even the first time that we have written about this type of call, identifying it as potential trouble spot for MLB due to poor replay communication and interpretation in the past of baseball's three types of hit-by-pitches (the take-your-base HBP, the dead ball ball HBP, and the dead ball strike HBP...more on these later).

Remember the ominous line from our pre-season 2017 edition of Tmac's Teachable Moments - Let's Fix Replay, "Let's replay more things...full swings that turn into HBPs are some of the disasters that are not reviewable"?

What is (Y) and isn't (X) reviewable.

Well, the HBP disaster sure reared its ugly head Thursday night at Fenway Park, though at least this time, MLB seems to have taken some initiative to solve the problem of the dead ball strike HBP review by saying that nearly all potential ball-hits-batter situations are to be deemed reviewable.^

Executive Summary: Any play in which a batter may be touched by a pitched ball is generally subject to review, but only if the dispute arises from a question of whether the pitched ball made contact with the batter vs with the bat, or batter vs nothing (but air). Without these material conflicts, the play is not reviewable (e.g., the batter's intent to swing or to avoid a pitched ball is not subject to review), and neither is the issue of whether a pitched ball made contact with the bat vs nothing (but air), nor whether a batted ball made contact with a batter.

The Play: With none out and none on in the top of the 9th inning of Thursday's Rangers-Red Sox game, Rangers batter Nomar Mazara swung at a 2-2 knuckle curve from Red Sox pitcher Craig Kimbrel. Initially ruled a swinging strikeout and wild pitch by HP Umpire Chad Fairchild—the uncaught third strike allowed Mazara to reach first base—Red Sox Manager John Farrell attempted to challenge the play, as replays indicate that the pitched ball struck Mazara's lower leg while he was swinging at it: the proper call would have been a dead ball strike, meaning Mazara would be out. Instead, Mazara ended up on first base.

Although Fairchild and acting Crew Chief Alfonso Marquez agreed to bring the play to video review, the call nonetheless stood, and a visibly unhappy Farrell retained his Manager's Challenge.

After the game, Major League Baseball issued a statement admitting it made a mistake:

During the top of the ninth inning of Thursday's Rangers-Red Sox game, the umpires on the field accepted Boston's challenge that Texas batter Nomar Mazara was hit by the pitch on a swinging strike three. The Replays Official and Replay Supervisor misinterpreted the call on the field and incorrectly deemed the play to be non-reviewable. The call on the field - of no hit by pitch on a swinging strike three - is a reviewable play under the Replay Regulations.

Marquez relays NY's decision to Farrell.

Analysis: Here's what that likely means: Fairchild ruled the play a swinging strikeout and uncaught third strike (as evidenced by Fairchild's "safe" mechanic), but MLB Replay either (1) misunderstood the call as a hit-by-pitch (logically unlikely, given Fairchild's "safe" mechanic), (2) thought Fairchild called a foul ball (unlikely given that the batter-runner ended up on first base) or (3) deemed that an issue of HBP during a swinging third strike is not subject to Replay Review.

This very issue has come up with the Replay Review process before, and the League failed to clearly convey its interpretation regarding the HBP vs swinging strike vs dead ball strike vs foul ball play when it did.

Replay Review Regulation V.G. states that the following is reviewable: "Hit By Pitch. Those plays for which there is a possibility that a pitched ball touches a batter, or his clothing." A traditional, take-your-base hit by pitch is occurs when the batter "is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit" (Rule 5.05(b)). Yet, a lesser known variety of the hit-by-pitch appears in both 5.05(b)'s approved ruling and the definition of "Strike": "A STRIKE is a legal pitch when so called by the umpire, which...touches the batter as he strikes at it." The approved ruling for a HBP strike states, "When the batter is touched by a pitched ball which does not entitle him to first base, the ball is dead and no runner may advance."

The Three HBPs: Accordingly, there are three types of hit-by-pitches in baseball: the take-your-base "traditional" HBP, the dead ball ball HBP (aka the "you didn't try and get out of the way" HBP), and the dead ball strike HBP (or "HBP strike," for short; both swinging and not swinging). The first two options require the batter not to have swung at the pitch while the latter is what happens when the batter has attempted a swing (or is struck by a pitched ball within the strike zone).

Ron Kulpa tried to replay a similar dead ball
third strike challenge in 2016, but was
informed that the play was not reviewable

^The three exceptions to the "nearly all HBP situations are reviewable" phrase are intra-HBP disputes, namely (1) take-your-base HBP vs dead ball ball HBP, (2) take-your-base HBP vs dead ball strike HBP, and (3) dead ball ball HBP vs dead ball strike HBP. In other words, a "traditional HBP vs Dead Ball Strike" dispute is really a challenge about "No Swing vs Swing," which has never been a reviewable call (and neither has the umpire's judgment of whether a batter has attempted to avoid being hit by a pitch, nor whether a pitch is located as a ball or a strike).

It goes without saying that the League doesn't want to be in the business of reviewing check swing calls. But does that (or did it) preclude Replay from taking a look at all plays in which the on-field umpires rule that the batter attempted to strike the pitched ball? Why did this mistake happen?

History: In June 2016's Unreviewable - Possibility of HBP Key to Replay Review, we discussed two HBP/bat contact plays with different outcomes, including one similar to Thursday's that the League refused to review.

In Miami, Rockies batter Trevor Story clearly swung at and attempted to hit a 3-2 fastball, ruled a foul ball. After Don Mattingly attempted to challenge the play, alleging the ball hit Story's shoulder as opposed to his bat (thus, a dead ball strike), Replay HQ ruled the play non-reviewable. It is important to note that under both the original ruling (foul ball) and Mattingly's contention (dead ball strike), the batter would be deemed to have swung at the pitch, and foul ball vs HBP is not one of the three exceptions to the reviewable HBP situations clause.

In Houston, Angels batter Mike Trout tried to avoid being hit by a 3-2 fastball, ruled a hit-by-pitch. After AJ Hinch attempted to challenge the play alleging that Trout's bat contacted the pitched ball, the play was overturned to a groundout.

Thus, our table of reviewable plays (assuming the Miami play was properly not reviewed) looks like:

Play	Original Call	Reviewable?
HBP (No Bat Contact)	HBP or "Ball"/"Strike"	Yes
HBP vs Batted Ball	HBP	Yes
HBP vs Batted Ball*	Willfully Batted Ball	Yes
Swinging vs HBP Strike*	Any Strike Call	Yes
HBP vs HBP Ball vs HBP Strike	Any Type of HBP	No
Batted Ball vs No Contact	Any	No

*HBP vs Batted Ball ("batted ball" means both foul or fair balls) and Swinging vs HBP Strike, where the original call was that the batter was or was not hit by a pitch which he was attempting to swing at, were not reviewed on June 20, 2016 in Miami and Boston on May 25, 2017, though they should have been.

A batted ball call, without the possibility that the pitched ball hit the batter, cannot be reviewed.

Kulpa/Meals Part II: The play was reviewable.

A Proper HBP Review: Just last week (5/19/17), the Orioles successfully challenged that opposing batter Justin Smoak had been hit by a pitch that he swung at in the wake of HP Umpire Jerry Meals' wild pitch/swinging strike call, resulting in a reviewed and overturned call of dead ball strikeout and cancellation of a Blue Jays run. As fate would have it, umpires Kulpa and Jerry Meals went to the headset in this game, as they did in Miami in 2016, only to successfully overturn the call in Baltimore to that of a dead ball strike.

Thursday's mea culpa from MLB clarifies that all intent-congruent hit-by-pitch situations—not only those that entitle the batter to first base—are reviewable. Video via 'Read More'

MLB Ejection 048 - Adam Hamari (1; Scott Servais)

HP Umpire Adam Hamari ejected Mariners Manager Scott Servais (strike three call) in the top of the 6th inning of the Mariners-Nationals game. With none out and one on (R1), Mariners batter Guillermo Heredia took a 2-2 changeup from Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and knee high (px -.487, pz 1.665 [sz_bot 1.504]), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 2-0.

This is Adam Hamari (78)'s first ejection of the 2017 MLB regular season.
Adam Hamari now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).
Crew Chief Bill Miller now has 2 points in Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 2).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This is the 48th ejection report of 2017.
This is the 26th Manager ejection of 2017.
This is Seattle's 2nd ejection of 2017, T-1st in the AL West (OAK, SEA, TEX 2; HOU, LAA 0).
This is Scott Servais' 2nd ejection of 2017, 1st since April 16 (CB Bucknor; QOC = Y [Fair/Foul]).
This is Adam Hamari's first ejection since September 23, 2016 (Brian Snitker; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Seattle Mariners vs. Washington Nationals, 5/25/17 | Video via "Read More"

Runner's Lane Interference Plagues Chicago's Heyward

Jeff Nelson's runner lane interference call on Chicago Cubs batter Jayson Heyward put an out on the board for San Francisco while simultaneously sending a Cubs baserunner back to second base from home plate, as the friendly confines encountered a little animosity in the wake of one of baseball's misunderstood rules.

Controversy concerning runner's lane interference—or a lack thereof—is nothing new. Mike Scioscia's Angels lost their protest in June 2016 over a runner's lane interference no-call that Scioscia claimed was a missed call, while skippers Terry Francona (MLB Ejection 065 - Manny Gonzalez (1; Terry Francona)) and Andy Green (MLB Ejection 090 - Bill Miller (2; Andy Green)) were ejected for arguing similar runner's lane interference plays.

Cubs Manager Joe Maddon questions Nelson.

The Giants-Cubs May 24, 2017 Play: With one out and two on, Cubs batter Jayson Heyward hit a ball on the ground and up along the first base line to Giants pitcher Matt Moore, who threw to first baseman Brandon Belt as Heyward arrived at first base. As Heyward reached to touch first base with his left foot, the ball struck his leg and caromed down the right field line, while HP Umpire Jeff Nelson called Heyward out for interfering with Belt's ability to field Moore's throw.

The Rule: Runner's Lane Interference ("RLI") is codified in Official Baseball Rule 5.09(a)(11):

A batter is out for interference when—In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line, and in the umpire’s judgment in so doing interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead.

Heyward exits the lane before his last stride.

Analysis: In order for RLI to apply, the runner must be out of his lane when he interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base.

Furthermore, we know that "the lines marking the three-foot lane are a part of that lane," and a batter-runner may exit "in the immediate vicinity of first base for the sole purpose of touching first base," which these days is fully in fair territory. We're also aware that the issue is not whether the batter-runner interfered with the thrower, but with the receiver.

The accompanying image indicates that Heyward exited the lane prior to the immediate vicinity of first base (or, if that is a disagreeable statement to you, then he exited the lane prior to his final stride, which means he failed to fulfill the "sole purpose of touching first base" criterion, as his left foot touched the dirt relatively far from first base).

Ok, so Heyward was out of his lane...but being out of the running lane, on its own, isn't interference. He actually has to impede fielder Belt's ability to field the throw.

The Harry and Hunter Wendelstedt rule interpretation pertaining to runner's lane interference states, "The determination is not whether the throw is true, but whether it could still reasonably retire the runner."

Ball strikes the back of Heyward's right leg.

In other words, Heyward has not interfered unless pitcher Moore's throw could have reasonably retired him, and only if Heyward's impedance on Belt prevented such a reasonable opportunity for said retirement.

There is no interference unless, all else equal, the throw could have reasonably retired the runner. Even though the result of the play was a two-base error, which allowed the lead Cubs baserunner to score a run, that fact is irrelevant in the adjudication of runner's lane interference: interference isn't meant to account for what happens to the ball after it fails to retire the batter-runner. The only question that matters is, "could [the throw] reasonably retire the runner?"

If your answer is "yes," Heyward is guilty of interference and was properly declared out.
If your answer is "no," Heyward is not guilty of interference and was incorrectly called for RLI.

Having trouble deciding? Here's a potential clue:

According to Officially Speaking columnist and former Triple-A umpire Brian Hertzog, who wrote articles titled "Runner's Lane Interference" and "RLI No-Call, Part Deux" last season, "This rule is written in a way that protects [the throwing fielder's] throw both “outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, [and] inside (to the left of) the foul line.” This verbiage tells any fielder making a throw from this area exactly where that throw will be free from any [runner] interfering with it. If not, then we penalize the B/R for it. This puts an onus on the defense to make their attempt to retire the B/R either inside or outside of the three-foot lane."

With Heyward, we have a throw that hit his right leg mere inches to the inside of the lane, and was released by pitcher Moore while his throwing hand was directly over the foul line, or barely inside the lane. Try and decipher whether Moore's throw was entirely inside the lane, or whether it travelled over the foul line (whatever happened to those foul line cameras we were supposed to get?).

Given all that backstory on RLI, what's your call?

A Look at the Dale Scott Crew Without Their Crew Chief

Over a month has passed since Dale Scott sustained a game-ending head injury and concussion as plate umpire in Toronto on April 14, 2017, and the long-time veteran has remained off the field ever since.*

Dale Scott has suffered multiple recent injuries.

April's was Scott's second game-ending head injury in as many years (more info at: Injury Scout - Dale Scott Removed on Stretcher After Foul), and ever since, his 2017 regular season crewmates of Brian Knight, Jim Reynolds, and Lance Barrett have been without their full-time crew chief.

As a respected No. 2 umpire on the crew, Reynolds has served as acting Crew Chief, a position he also occupied in years past as a member of retired umpire John Hirschbeck's crew when Hirschbeck was absent.

Yet as the days continue to go by, MLB has had to find umpires to fill the void left by Scott's absence: this goes for both the assignment of acting Crew Chief(s) and for assigning a Triple-A umpire (or multiple call-ups) to fill out the crew.

Here is how Scott's absence has shaped his crew since April 14, based on box scores since that date:
April 14: Scott leaves mid-game due to injury. Reynolds, Knight, and Barrett finish as a crew of three.
April 15-16: Nic Lentz is called up to serve as the crew's fourth umpire to complete the Toronto series.
April 17-24: The crew either takes a vacation or is assigned to Replay Review duty in New York.
April 25 - May 14: Stu Scheurwater is called up to fill in as the crew's fourth umpire, replacing Lentz.
May 16-21: Joe West joins the crew to replace Brian Knight; Scheurwater remains onboard.
May 22-24: Greg Gibson joins the crew to replace West/Knight; Scheurwater remains on the crew.

As of May 24, there has been no status update given for Scott. The longest recent absence on the Major League staff belongs to Bruce Dreckman, whose 522 days between big league games spanned the entire 2016 season.

Tim Welke retired at the conclusion of the 2016 season (though he announced his plans for retirement in March 2016), following knee replacement surgery.

*Pursuant to CCS/UEFL Best Practices, any private information or rumors thereof gathered from information not available to the general public or media source thereof will not be disseminated in a CCS/UEFL-authored post. As specified in our Best Practices, "The 'Rumor' tag is reserved for operational information." The source for Scott's comments after his traumatic event last month was Harold Reynolds. This is not a discussion of Scott's current condition; please respect his privacy. this is a discussion of a crew working without a crew chief.

MLB Ejection 047 - Nic Lentz (2; Clint Hurdle)

HP Umpire Nic Lentz ejected Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle (out of base path call) in the top of the 1st inning of the Pirates-Braves game. With two out and two on (R1, R3), Pirates batter John Jaso hit a 1-2 knuckleball from Braves pitcher RA Dickey on the ground to catcher Kurt Suzuki, who attempted to tag Pirates baserunner R3 Josh Bell for the inning's third out. Replays indicate that in attempting to avoid Suzuki's tag, Bell ran more than three feet away from his base path, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Pirates were leading, 1-0. The Braves ultimately won the contest, 6-5.

*Rule 5.09(b)(1) states that "Any runner is out when—He runs more than three feet away from his base path to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely."

This is Nic Lentz (59)'s second ejection of the 2017 MLB regular season.
Nic Lentz now has 10 points in the UEFL Standings (5 Previous + 3 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 10).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 3).

This is the 47th ejection report of 2017.
This is the 25th Manager ejection of 2017.
This is Pittsburgh's 3rd ejection of 2017, T-1st in the NL Central (PIT, STL 3; MIL 1; CHC, CIN 0).
This is Clint Hurdle's 2nd ejection of 2017, 1st since May 22 (Phil Cuzzi; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Nic Lentz's 2nd ejection of 2017, 1st since May 19 (Mike Matheny; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves, 5/23/17 | Videos via "Read More"

Humor Me This - Who Cleans the Plate After a Tantrum?

On a lighter note, Yankees Manager Joe Girardi finally cleaned home plate after covering its Floridian cousin with dirt during a post-ejection tantrum on Saturday.

Veteran Crew Chief Jerry Layne called Girardi out of his dugout during Monday night's pre-game plate meeting at Yankee Stadium, and had the Yankees skipper symbolically remove the dirt he had placed in Tampa Bay two days prior.

On May 20, HP Umpire Scott Barry ejected Girardi and Yankees Pitching Coach Larry Rothschild for arguing balls and strikes during the 6th inning of an eventual New York loss to the Rays. While arguing with Barry, Girardi elected to cover home plate with dirt before storming back to the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field.

When asked about it after the game, Girardi explained, "Jerry Layne and I go back a long way—him behind me when I was a catcher and always laughing. As the two wonderful little kids took out the lineup card, Jerry called me out and said that I set a bad example for kids and I should clean the plate. I thought it was quite humorous."

Video via "Read More"

Old School - West Crew Reverses Call Without Replay

In a throw-back to days before instant replay, Joe West helped Hunter Wendelstedt reverse the latter's "safe" call on the bases without going to New York.

Wendelstedt, alongside West, reverses his call.

The sequence began in the top of the 2nd inning of Monday's Angels-Rays game, when Angels baserunner R1 Nolan Fontana attempted to steal second base off of Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi, initially ruled safe by 2B Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.

Rays Manager Kevin Cash elected to challenge the play, claiming that second baseman Michael Martinez applied a tag to Fontana prior to his arrival at the base.

As Wendelstedt and Crew Chief West began walking toward the replay coordinator's station, the two discussed the play. According to West's post-game comments to a pool reporter, "After consulting with me, [Wendelstedt] said, 'I want to change it myself. I think I erred.' I said, 'OK, it’s your call.' So he changed it." The pair then explained their ruling to chagrined Angels skipper Mike Scioscia.

Wendelstedt accepted responsibility for the initial call and described how the change came about:

I committed one of the two errors that normally result in missing a play. You have good positioning, which I had, and good timing. Most of the time you’re going to get them, most of the time, right. I had really bad timing. As soon as my hands were out, I knew that I missed it.

In its General Instructions to Umpires, the Official Baseball Rules state, "But remember! The first requisite is to get decisions correctly. If in doubt don’t hesitate to consult your associate. Umpire dignity is important but never as important as 'being right.'"

Umpires are also instructed to, "wait until the play is completed before making any arm motion...[Umpiring] is often a trying position which requires the exercise of much patience and good judgment."

In seasons past, we have seen umpires call a runner out too quickly, only to subsequently see that the fielder has dropped or failed to catch the ball, and reverse the call to that of "safe." Rarely has a "safe" call been reversed to an "out," as it was here, and even more rare is the umpire's call reversed by the calling umpire before going to replay.

But, as West and Wendelstedt came to the conclusion, it is the mechanically proper thing to do.

Video via "read more"

MLB Ejections 045-046 - Phil Cuzzi (2-3; Freese, Hurdle)

HP Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Pirates 3B David Freese & Manager Clint Hurdle (strike three call) in the top of the 4th inning of the Pirates-Braves game. With none out and none on, Freese took a 2-2 fastball from Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and knee-high (px 1.160, pz 1.74 [sz_bot 1.589]), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Braves were leading, 2-0. The Braves ultimately won the contest, 5-2.

This is Phil Cuzzi (10)'s second, third ejection of the 2017 MLB regular season.
Phil Cuzzi now has 2 points in the UEFL Standings (6 Previous + 2*[2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call] = 2).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 2 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 2).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This is the 45th, 46th ejection report of 2017.
This is the 24th Manager ejection of 2017.
This is the 17th player ejection of 2017. Prior to ejection, Freese was 0-2 (2 SO) in the contest.
This is Pittsburgh's 1st/2nd ejection of 2017, 2nd in the NL Central (STL 3; PIT 2; MIL 1; CHC, CIN 0).
This is David Freese's first ejection since July 30, 2016 (Marty Foster; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Clint Hurdle's first ejection since September 13, 2016 (Alan Porter; QOC = Y [Interference]).
This is Phil Cuzzi's 2nd/3rd ejection of 2017, 1st since May 14 (Neil Walker; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves, 5/22/17 | Videos via "Read More"

Dangerous Precedent - GHSA Overturns Judgment Call

In a decision contradicting years of legal precedent & NFHS rules, GHSA reversed an umpire's judgment call as the result of a post-game protest filed by the losing team.

Last week, we reported the curious case of Lee County vs Johns Creek High School and the Georgia playoff game that hinged on a single appeal play ruling in the bottom of the last inning of regulation.

Umpires and Judges: What does the law say?
Photo: Nancy Stahl, NYTimes

To recapitulate, with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th, a Johns Creek batter received a fourth ball and walk to force the apparent winning run. After a protest from defensive Lee County's head coach that Johns Creek baserunner R2 failed to touch third base, the umpires ruled the runner out on appeal, pursuant to NFHS Rule 9-1-1, and cancelled the run pursuant to 9-1-1 Note 2.

Lee County went on to win the ballgame, and Johns Creek protested that it should have won instead due to an umpires' error.

Upon receiving Johns Creek's initial protest, GHSA Executive Director Gary Phillips on Thursday ruled the umpires' decision was one of judgment and, therefore, not protestable; the ruling must stand.

Board of Trustees President Glenn White.

GHSA counsel Alan Connell disagreed and granted Johns Creek not a protest, but an "appeal."

On Friday, a GHSA Appeals Board heard the appeal and, like Phillips, declined to uphold it.

On Monday, the GHSA Board of Trustees elected to overturn the umpires' call—based on the rationale that the Board of Trustees felt that the judgment call had been incorrect.

POLITICAL SIDEBAR: The GHSA has been dealing with organizational issues, even prior to the Johns Creek & Lee County baseball incident. In February, GHSA Board of Trustees President and Model High School Principal Glenn White voted to recommended that Executive Director Phillips resign; Phillips accordingly agreed to retire at the end of the 2016-17 school year. Meanwhile, Georgia House Bill 415 and Senate Bill 2013 proposed that the state replace the GHSA with a new statewide governing body.

Georgia State Representative John Meadows in February "said he gets more complaints about the GHSA – from schools, referees, coaches and parents – than about everything else put together, 'and basically I’m sick of it.' He added, 'I don’t think they know what their job is.'”

Clearly not.

Contrary to decades of legal precedent, Trustees President White made it clear that the Trustees sustained the appeal and overturned the on-field officials' call based on a matter of judgment—not on an issue of rule interpretation:

It swayed me to believe that the wrong call was made and that it was not in the best interest of students to support that call. The bottom line is what’s right and what’s wrong, and I thought it was right for Johns Creek to go back to Lee County and play a third game. 

If it’s the second inning of a baseball game or second quarter of a football game, you’ve got plenty of time to overcome a bad call,’’ White said. ‘’This situation is a different. It’s a semifinal state playoff game in baseball, and it’s the end of the game. I just see that differently. That had lot to do with swaying my opinion. 

It’s just not practical to review every missed call and every kid that was (called) safe but was actually out. We have set a precedent, so we need to get ready because there will probably be other people coming to see us.

This is odd, as GHSA Bylaw 2.92(e) states, "The National Federation prohibits the use of video tape to review an official’s decision."

As for the legality of overturning an umpire's on-field judgment call after-the-fact, the Courts have routinely ruled, for approximately 35 years, that such practice is not legally tenable:
> 1981: Georgia High School Association vs Waddell: The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that it does not possess authority to review the decision of a high school sports official. In what was, at the time, a landmark decision to establish long-term precedent, the Supreme Court held, "We go now further and hold that courts for equality in this state are without authority to review decisions of football referees because those decisions do not present judicial controversies."

> December 2005: Brown vs. OSSAA. Referees ejected player Tucker Brown for fighting at the end of a game, resulting in an automatic two-game suspension, pursuant to state association rules. Brown's mother sued the OSSAA seeking an injunction to allow Tucker to play. In an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision, the Court opined, "It is not within our province to act as 'super referees' to alter or overturn the referee's determinations. Neither may we, because a referee does not make a call, do so for the official -- we may not 'call the game' or construe the official's failure to see every infraction as arbitrary."

> December 2005: Haverstraw Stony-Point Central School District vs NYSPHSAA. The District and high school wrestler Frank Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against the state after a referee's assessment of a two-point penalty against Rodriguez cost him his state title match. A judge refused to entertain the District's lawsuit, writing that, "To establish a precedent of reviewing and potentially reversing a referee's judgment call from the distant ivory tower of a judge's chambers would cause unending confusion in the interscholastic athletic system."

> December 2015: Oklahoma City School District vs OSSAA. The District, on behalf of Douglass High School, filed a lawsuit against OSSAA claiming that an on-field official's judgment call caused its team to lose a game, and that OSSAA failed to allow it to replay the game so as to remedy the situation. In ruling for the OSSAA, Judge Bernard Jones wrote that "what transpired during and to some degree after the disputed quarterfinal could be considered by many as a tragedy. More tragic, however, would be for this Court to assert itself in this matter...There is neither statute nor case law allowing this Court discretion to order the replaying of a high school football game."

> November 2016: Fenwick High School vs. IHSA. Fenwick filed a lawsuit after the IHSA failed to reverse an on-field ruling. The judge ruled in favor of the IHSA, writing that it is not the court's responsibility or jurisdiction to overturn an on-field referee's call, even though Fenwick suffered irreparable harm as the result of an official's failure to properly apply a rule.

Perhaps Judge Jones wrote it best, "this slippery slope of solving athletic contests in court instead of on campus will inevitably usher in a new era of robed referees and meritless litigation due to disagreement with or disdain for decisions of gaming officials—an unintended consequence which hurts both the court system and the citizens it is designed to protect."

Thus, GHSAA Board of Trustees President and robed referee White's decision runs in direct contravention to not only years of legal precedent as specified above, but the NFHS baseball rulebook itself. Although, as we wrote, the NFHS vs GHSA allowance of protests is legally ambiguous (NFHS requires a clearly delineated protest procedure, GHSA doesn't specify one in its Bylaws), let us assume for the purpose of discussion that protests are authorized.

Rule 10-4 states, "Any umpire’s decision which involves judgment, such as whether a hit is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out, is final." Rule 10-5 states, "The use of videotape or equipment by game officials for the purpose of making calls or rendering decisions is prohibited."

Rule 4-5 states, "It is optional on the part of a state association as to whether protests are permitted. When allowed, protests are permitted regarding rules one through nine only."

Thus, a protest concerning the umpires' conduct (the Johns Creek complaint alleged "inappropriate conduct" on the part of the umpires)—such as a judgment call delineated by 10-4, or any other conduct related to Umpiring Rule 10—is prohibited by Rule 4-5.

Johns Creek's original protest cited Official Baseball Rule 5.08(b), as opposed to the High School rule 9-1-1, regarding runner responsibility to touch bases on a game-winning walk (OBR requires just the batter and runner from third to touch their respective bases; NFHS requires all runners to touch up).

As for the question of the appeal's validity, while OBR requires all appeals to be live ball in nature, NFHS authorizes dead ball appeals. At the end of the game, appeals may be filed at any time until the umpires leave the playing field (umpires remained on the field throughout the process).

Conclusion: GHSA Board of Trustees President Glenn White "thought it was right" to overturn an on-field official's judgment call because he felt "that it was not in the best interest of students to support [the on-field] call," which he deemed a "wrong call."

In an odd reversal of fates, Official Baseball Rule 7.04 states, "No protest shall ever be permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire," whereas NFHS Rule 4-5 does not explicitly state this (though it certainly implies it by saying that protests shall only be permitted regarding rules one through nine only), leaving it up to the state to delineate the protest procedure. The GHSA Constitution and Bylaws, however, fail to prescribe such a process for baseball protests.

Major League Debut of Umpire Ryan Additon (67)

Umpire Ryan Additon makes his MLB debut during the Royals-Twins game on Sunday in Minnesota, joining Bill Miller's crew for two games of the KC-MIN doubleheader, serving as the first base umpire alongside HP Umpire Bill Miller, 2B Umpire Kerwin Danley, and 3B Umpire Adam Hamari for Game 1, and as the third base umpire alongside HP Umpire Ryan Blakney, 1B Umpire Danley, and 2B Umpire Hamari for Game 2.

Umpire Ryan Additon.
Photo: The Virginian-Pilot

Additon is on the International League roster for the 2017 season, which is his second season in the IL and second overall in Triple-A (2016 IL). He has also worked the Gulf Coast, New York-Penn, Midwest, Florida State, Arizona Instructional, Southern, and Arizona Fall Leagues, in addition to MLB Spring Training. Additon served as the plate umpire for Tim Tebow's first Grapefruit League game this March.

Additon wears the uniform number 67 at the Major League level, which was last worn by Seth Buckminster, and makes his MLB debut at the age of 31. He resides in Davie, Florida, instructs at the Wendelstedt School, and is the first new fill-in umpire to make his debut during the 2017 regular season.

Additon most recently worked the plate for an 18-inning International League thriller on Friday night between Columbus and Louisville (As in Minnesota, Saturday's game in Louisville was postponed).

"Jim & Randy Wolf Situation" Alert: Ryan's brother Nick is a pitcher in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), having previously played in Minor League Baseball with the Cardinals, Orioles, and Brewers.