MLB Ejections 173-174 - Joe West (3-4; CWS x2)

2B Umpire Joe West ejected White Sox SS Tim Anderson and Manager Rick Renteria (Replay Review decision that upheld West's slide rule interference no-call; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the Cubs-White Sox game. With one out and two on, Cubs batter Anthony Rizzo hit a 0-1 slider from White Sox pitcher Jeanmar Gomez on the ground to second baseman Yoan Moncada, to shortstop Anderson, who threw wildly to first base as Cubs baserunner R1 Javier Baez slid into second base and collided with Anderson, resulting in a run-producing error, affirmed via Replay Review as the result of a Manager's Challenge by Renteria. Replays indicate Baez fulfilled the requirements for a bona fide slide, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejections, the Cubs were leading, 8-3. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 8-3.

These are Joe West (22)'s third and fourth ejections of 2018.
Joe West now has 17 points in the UEFL Standings (9 Prev + 2*[2 MLB + 2 Correct Call] = 17).
Crew Chief Joe West now has 1 point in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 2*[1 Correct Call] = 1).
*Rule 6.01(j) regarding slide interference specifies the four criteria which make a slide bona fide:
(1) Did the runner begin his slide (e.g., contact the ground) before reaching the base? [YES];
(2) Was runner able & attempted to reach the base with a hand or foot? [YES];
(3) Was runner able & attempted to remain on the base (except HP) after completing the slide? [YES];
(4) Did runner slide within reach of the base without changing his pathway for contact? [YES].

As stated in our related post (see the following link for a detailed analysis of this type of play),

As for 5.09(a)(13) Comment (the "deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner in leaving the baseline for the obvious purpose of crashing the pivot man on a double play, rather than trying to reach the base" rule), [the runner] actually did reach and remain on second base, and, as stated above, never actually left the baseline (because he was notably to the right of the line to begin with). Because 5.09(a)(13) Comment instructs umpires to "See Rule 6.01(j)," we come full circle and start over, finding again that [the runner's] slide is bona fide, so on, and so forth.

It's tough to prove willful and deliberate interference when [the runner's] actions check all of the "bona fide" boxes and don't quite meet the criteria about "leaving the baseline" or failing to reach the base.

That said, an unequivocally intentional attempt by the runner to reach out and grab the fielder in order to deprive the defense of the opportunity to turn or complete a double play may be deemed violative.
Related Post: Light Up the Halo & Clear the Benches - Slide INT Part II (6/2/18).

This is the 173rd and 174th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 84th player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejection, Anderson was 1-3 (SO) in the contest.
This is the 71st Manager ejection of 2018.
This is Chicago-AL's 8/9th ejection of 2018, 1st in the AL Central (CWS 9; MIN 8; KC 7; DET 4; CLE 1).
This is Tim Anderson's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since June 28 (Gerry Davis; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).
This is Rick Renteria's 6th ejection of 2018, 1st since August 4 (Jerry Meals; QOC = N-C [Replay Review]).
This is Joe West's 3/4th ejection of 2018, 1st since June 30 (Ryan Rua; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox, 9/22/18 | Video as follows:

Indy (Atlantic League) Ejection - Jorge Teran (Kevin Baez)

As the Atlantic League postseason seeks a Liberty Division champion, 2B Umpire Jorge Teran ejected Long Island Ducks Manager Kevin Baez (safe call [pulled foot]) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the Ducks-Patriots game in Somerset. With one out and one on (R1), Patriots batter Craig Massey hit a ground ball to Ducks pitcher Jose Cuas, who threw to shortstop Dan Lyons as Patroits baserunner R1 Yovan Gonzalez arrived at second base, ruled safe due to Cuas' wide throw pulling Lyons off the base. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 3-3. The Patriots ultimately won the contest, 8-4.

Wrap: Long Island Ducks vs. Somerset Patriots (Atlantic League), 9/21/18 | Videos as follows:

MLB Ejection 172 - Marty Foster (4; Travis Shaw)

HP Umpire Marty Foster ejected Brewers 2B Travis Shaw (strike one call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the Brewers-Pirates game. With one out and none on, Shaw took a 2-0 slider from Pirates pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas for a called first strike before striking out on a later pitch. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and below the midpoint (px .673, pz 3.388 [sz_top 3.549]) and that all pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Brewers were leading, 7-3. The Brewers ultimately won the contest, 8-3.

This is Marty Foster (60)'s fourth ejection of 2018.
Marty Foster now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 3).
Crew Chief Mike Winters now has 7 points in Crew Division (6 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 7).
*UEFL Rule 7-2 correction to box score: Shaw was the 2B when ejected, not 3B.

This is the 172nd ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 82nd player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejection, Shaw was 1-2 (SO) in the contest.
This is Milwaukee's 9th ejection of 2018, 2nd in the NL Central (CHC 10; MIL 9; PIT, STL 4; CIN 3).
This is Travis Shaw's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since April 5 (Brian O'Nora; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Marty Foster's 4th ejection of 2018, 1st since September 5 (Dale Sveum; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 9/21/18 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 171 - Andy Fletcher (6; Carlos Gomez)

HP Umpire Andy Fletcher ejected Rays PH Carlos Gomez (strike three call; QOCN) in the top of the 6th inning of the Rays-Blue Jays game. With two out and the bases loaded, Gomez took a 2-2 fastball from Blue Jays pitcher Tim Mayza for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and above the knees (px -.954, pz 1.766 [sz_bot 1.599]), the call was incorrect.* This ejection was not reported in the box score, but added pursuant to UEFL Rule 7-2 regarding disputed or erroneous information. At the time of the ejection, the Rays were leading, 3-2. The Blue Jays ultimately won the contest, 9-8.

This is Andy Fletcher (49)'s sixth ejection of 2018.
Andy Fletcher now has 8 points in the UEFL Standings (10 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = 8).
Crew Chief Jeff Nelson now has -1 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = -1).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 0.48 horizontal inches from being deemed a correct call.
Following his ejection, Gomez took to Twitter to criticize Fletcher.
Related Post: MLB Ejections 119-120 - Phil Cuzzi (1-2; Maddon, Zobrist) (8/14/18).
Related Post: WUA-MLB Relations Deteriorate with New Umpire Protest (8/19/17).

This is the 171st ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 81st player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejection, Gomez was 0-1 (SO) in the contest.
This is Tampa Bay's 3rd ejection of 2018, T-5th in the AL East (TOR 10; NYY 9; BOS 5; BAL, TB 3).
This is Carlos Gomez's first ejection since September 3, 2017 (Mike Estabrook; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Andy Fletcher's 6th ejection of 2018, 1st since Sept 7 (Bud Black; QOC = Y [Balk]).

Wrap: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 9/20/18 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 169-170 - DJ Reyburn (2-3; Callaway, Harper)

HP Umpire DJ Reyburn ejected Mets Manager Mickey Callaway (check swing bunt strike two call; QOCY) in the top of the 10th and Nationals RF Bryce Harper (strike three call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 12th inning of the Mets-Nationals game. In the 10th, with none out and one on, Mets batter Jeff McNeil attempted to not bunt at a 1-1 fastball from Nationals pitcher Greg Holland. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -.698, pz 1.432 [sz_bot 1.565 / RAD 1.442 / MOE 1.359]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of Callaway's ejection, the game was tied, 1-1.

In the 12th, with one out and none on, Harper took a 1-2 fastball from Mets pitcher Paul Sewald for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and above the knees (px 0.925, pz 1.864 [sz_bot 1.601]), the call was incorrect.^ At the time of Harper's ejection, the Mets were leading, 5-4. The Mets ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

These are DJ Reyburn (17)'s second and third ejections of 2018.
DJ Reyburn now has 10 points in the UEFL Standings (8 Prev + 2*[2 MLB] + 2 QOCY - 4 QOCN = 10).
Crew Chief Sam Holbrook now has -1 points in Crew Division (-2 Previous + 1 QOCY + 0 QOCN = -1).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-6-a states, "Any displayed reasoning for such a call, including a communicated application or interpretation of a rule, shall not affect the determination of Quality of Correctness. Quality of Correctness is governed by the (in)correctness of the call made, not by the quality of reasoning given for such a call." The call here is "strike"; the reasoning is swing vs pitch location.
The 1-1 pitch to McNeil was located 0.876 vertical inches from referral to the UEFL Appeals Board.
^UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This is the 169th, 170th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 70th Manager ejection of 2018.
This is the 80th player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejection, Harper was 1-5 (SO) in the contest.
This is New York-NL's 7th ejection of 2018, 2nd in the NL East (WAS 10; NYM 7; ATL 6; MIA 5; PHI 0).
This is Washington's 10th ejection of 2018, 1st in the NL East (WAS 10; NYM 7; ATL 6; MIA 5; PHI 0).
This is Mickey Callaway's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since June 12 (Stu Scheurwater; QOC = Y [HBP]).
This is Bryce Harper's first ejection since July 26, 2017 (Chris Segal; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is DJ Reyburn's 2/3rd ejection of 2018, 1st since May 14 (Robbie Grossman; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals, 9/20/18 | Video as follows:

A Rockie and a Hard Base - Umpire Obstruction in LA

Yesterday's Tmac's Teachable Moments featured excellent anticipation and positioning from 3B Umpire Chris Conroy in San Diego on a tag play at third base. Tuesday night in Los Angeles, best intentions proved unfortunate as Lance Barrett blocked Rockies SS Garrett Hampson from attempting to catch an underhand toss from Nolan Arenado as Dodgers baserunner R2 Austin Barnes dove back in to third, leaving the umpire in a most vulnerable position, stuck between a Rockie and a hard base.

Sidebar: "Umpire Obstruction" is part of the title only. There is no such rule as "umpire obstruction." Please don't call "umpire obstruction" in a game. It doesn't exist. See the following examples and discussions of what umpire interference is and is not.
Related Post: Case Play 2018-8 - Kick a Ball, Make a Call [Solved] (9/14/18).
Related Post: Stayin' Alive - The Umpire-Aided Triple Play (4/23/18).

The Play: With one out and one on (R2) in the bottom of the 5th inning—similar to Conroy's SD situation—Dodgers batter Chris Taylor hit a weak ground ball up the third base line, fielded by Rockies 3B Arenado, who faked a throw to first before turning and tossing the ball back toward third base in an effort to catch baserunner R2 Barnes, who had rounded the base, off-guard. Covering third on the play was Colorado shortstop Hampson, who looked poised to field Arenado's throw...with just one problem: 3B Umpire L Barrett, positioned on the foul line, jumped to his left in an attempt to avoid being hit by the throw, and, in doing so, collided with shortstop Hampson, resulting in Barnes scoring the Dodgers' tying run.

Barrett cedes ground to the pitcher and ball.

Analysis: Possibly anticipating an attempted play at third base involving the pitcher Kyle Freeland, who, after running up the line, peeled off at the base and turned left, into foul territory, 3B Umpire L Barrett positioned himself in a spot along fair territory that would allow him to get a better look at the play involving Freeland, who was stationed in foul territory.

Had pitcher Freeland fielded the throw and attempted a tag on the runner, Barrett would have been in optimal position to rule on the play.

Instead, it was an unfortunate read as shortstop Hampson was the chosen wheel play fielder, meaning that in order to field Arenado's throw, Hampson, from his position in fair territory diagonally behind the third, had no where else to go but directly into the umpire, who was avoiding the ball while likely still allowing the uninvolved pitcher an opportunity to field it.

Joe Davis: "Illegal moving screen on Lance"

Rules Review: Again, this is not umpire interference and umpire obstruction does not exist. This is an unfortunate instance of incidental player-umpire contact whereupon the ball remains live.

Similar Play: As we said in yesterday's Episode 4VM of The Plate Meeting podcast, 3B Umpire Conroy did an absolutely fantastic job of preparing for and reading a potential tag play at third base on a weakly hit ground ball in front of first base. Conroy scampered into foul territory and from an angle perpendicular to the foul line found his keyhole view of the fielder's no-look tag of the runner just prior to the latter's touch of third base.

The main difference between these two plays—other than the direction of the batted ball hit toward first base in San Diego and toward third base in Los Angeles—is that the pitcher and shortstop in San Diego did not complicate matters for the umpire. In Conroy's play, it was the third baseman and only the third baseman who could have fielded the throw and tagged the runner. In Los Angeles, however, the X's and O's moved around so much that the umpire had to essentially choose which fielder was most likely to make the play. Unfortunately, it simply didn't turn out to be the pitcher.
Related Post: Tmac's Teachable Moments - Video Analysis of Four Plays (9/18/18).

Barrett and Hampson collide near third base.

Could our umpire have taken the unconventional exit route of running forward, toward home plate in an effort to avoid a potential backchecking shortstop? Possibly, but also bear in mind that the keyhole angle gets smaller and smaller when we make odd positional adjustments in an effort to avoid an exploding play.

Then again, with the pitcher several yards onto the foul territory grass, what play is really left for him, other than to retrieve a loose ball with very little chance at the runner? In general, running or moving forward gives officials a much higher likelihood of not colliding with a player or base coach (since we can usually see what's in front of us), while jumping backwards is the most risky direction.

Conclusion: We've often heard the case that an umpire's job becomes a lot tougher when players make mistakes, quite often due to the improvisation involved with getting into position to officiate a broken play.

Here, as the result of an improvised play, Barrett inadvertently and incidentally hops laterally into the shortstop's path, who, himself, likely in an attempt to avoid the umpire, incorrectly guessed where the umpire would go in order to avoid being hit by the ball, resulting in a run-producing error.

Video as follows:

Tmac's Teachable Moments - Video Analysis of Four Plays

This edition of Tmac's Teachable Moments is an audio commentary with video of four Replay Review plays that occurred in MLB. First, we see Ben May patiently time an out call on a caught stealing at second base, then 1B Umpire Carlos Torres makes sure a fly ball is caught, James Hoye officiates a banger at first, and Chris Conroy anticipates a potential play at third base and is in great position to rule on a no-look tag attempt.

Podcast Video Minisode 4VM is a Teachable.

Introducing Audio Commentary: The following Teachable is available in audio form via this post and also via our RSS setup for The Plate Meeting Podcast. This episode is a Video Minisode and is labeled Episode 4VM.

Play 1: Our first play features 2B Umpire Ben May officiating a tag play during a stolen base attempt in Texas. Our runner, wearing the protective sliding "oven mitt" over his hand, appears to slide headfirst directly into the fielder's foot, which is guarding the base.

Sidebar: Because the fielder has the ball, there is no "obstruction" conversation to be had.

Watch May wait to make a call as he gets himself a good look as to whether the runner was able to reach the base ahead of the tag. After running the play through and confirming what he has seen, May signals the out, which is affirmed via Replay Review.

Carlos Torres observes a catch in Houston.

Play 2: Next up is 1B Umpire Carlos Torres on a line drive to right field, caught by our Diamondbacks right fielder in Houston during a tumbling head-over-heels catch that takes his glove to all sides, meaning that 2B Umpire Mark Carlson may potentially need to help out as the glove and bare hand holding onto the baseball rotated out of Torres' sight.

Like May in Arlington, Torres in Houston waits to make a call, appears to take a quick look at his crewmate to make sure the ball hasn't fallen out, and finally comes up with the out. This call is confirmed on review thanks in great part to the multiple replay angles that allow us to see that the fielder possessed the ball the entire time, and that it did not hit the grass. On the field, we're only allowed one angle in realtime, and potentially—by visually communicating with a crewmate—an additional angle that can help settle the call.

James Hoye signals safe on the play at first.

Play 3: 1B Umpire James Hoye has to officiate three aspects of a play within a matter of three tenths of a second. First, he has a fair/foul decision on a batted ball, then he has a catch/no catch consideration, and finally (the most challenging call), he has to determine whether the runner made it back to first base before being put out by the fielder's tag attempt on what we call a "reverse force" play in our replay shorthand.

The play explodes in close quarters at first base and with so many things happening at once, it's important to see the big picture. The most important call here will be the safe/out on the tag attempt, and it is vital to stay engaged throughout the play by anticipating the tag issue before it happens. Hoye does this here, is able to exclude the mitt laces from consideration of out/safe, and comes up with a quick safe call that is affirmed after review.

Chris Conroy moves to see the tag play.

Play 4: Finally, 3B Umpire Chris Conroy in San Diego prepares for a potential play at third base on an infield grounder up the right foul line. With a runner at second, we know there is no force play at third, such that the fielder will have to tag the runner if the defense does decide to try for the out at third base. That's precisely what happens, and Conroy moves into position, looking for the keyhole angle that best serves him in being able to see the important aspect of the play: did the runner get to third base and did the fielder tag the runner?

This anticipation and preparedness ahead of the play allows Conroy and the other umpires to best position themselves for these close plays, and to time their calls just right so as to support the highest level of accuracy.

Ben May (Play 1) stays with the tag at second.

In Conclusion, it all starts with your starting position. Where will you want to be at the crack of the bat—or a potential pickoff play—and where will you need to go on a mile-a-minute play like Hoye's in St. Louis? Second, be prepared for anything. If you're the third base umpire and there's a runner on second, be like Conroy and assume the next play will be at third base, even if that probability is realistically low...it still could happen, just like it did in San Diego. Finally, call what you see after you make darn well sure of what it is that you did see. Whether that means waiting to replay the sequence before coming up with a confident call like May or taking a quick peek at your partner like Torres, make sure of what you have and practice good timing when making your call.

Until next time, Happy Umpiring, Everyone!

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 168 - Fieldin Culbreth (3; Andy Green)

3B Umpire Fieldin Culbreth ejected Padres Manager Andy Green (unreviewable Fair/Foul call prior to a Replay Review decision that overturned HP Umpire Ryan Blakney's foul ball call to HBP; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the Rangers-Padres game. With one out and none on, Rangers batter Robinson Chirinos attempted to check his swing on a 2-2 fastball from Padres pitcher Trey Wingenter, ruled a foul ball by HP Umpire Blakney. Green requested a review as to the issue of whether the ball, ruled foul, was actually fair (e.g., Green's contention was that the ball hit the bat and then bounded fair, while Blakney's original ruling contended that the ball hit the bat, then batter Chirinos' hand, and then bounded fair), after which the Replay Operations Center informed Culbreth (and Green) that this aspect of the play was not subject to review. At this time, Green was ejected for arguing the unreviewable Fair/Foul aspect of the play.

Upon subsequent Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Rangers Manager Jeff Banister that the ball hit Chirinos' hand prior to striking the bat, Blakney's call was overturned to a hit-by-pitch, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Rangers were leading, 3-2. The Padres ultimately won the contest, 7-3.

This is Fieldin Culbreth (25)'s third ejection of 2018.
Fieldin Culbreth now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Fieldin Culbreth now has 0 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 0).
*This call is correct pursuant to UEFL Rule 6-2-b-6-a regarding displayed reasoning: "Quality of Correctness is governed by the (in)correctness of the call made, not by the quality of reasoning given for such a call." The call in this case is the Replay Official's ruling of HBP, which is QOCY.

*SD vs TEX requests for Replay Review, as pertains to the sequence of events relative to HP Umpire Blakney's original ruling of Pitch => Ball Hits Bat => Ball Hits Hand => Ball Lands Fair.
SD Wanted to Review: Pitch => Ball Hits Bat => (THIS PART OF THE PLAY) Ball Hits Hand.
TEX Wanted to Review: Pitch => (THIS PART OF THE PLAY) Ball Hits Bat => Ball Hits Hand.
In other words, once the umpire rules the ball has hit the bat, no subsequent aspect of the play relative to whether the ball then hit the batter's person may be reviewed. This is similar to the standard "did the batter foul the ball off his foot?" question, which is not a reviewable play...but should it be?
Related Post: Tmac's Teachable Moments - Let's Fix Replay (3/19/17).

This is the 168th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 69th Manager ejection of 2018.
This is San Diego's 7th ejection of 2018, T-2nd in the NL West (SF 8; ARI, LAD, SD 7; COL 5).
This is Andy Green's 4th ejection of 2018, 1st since June 29 (Angel Hernandez; QOC = Y [Balk]).
This is Fieldin Culbreth's 3rd ejection of 2018, 1st since July 27 (Rick Renteria; QOC = N [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Texas Rangers vs. San Diego Padres, 9/16/18 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 167 - Phil Cuzzi (3; Chip Hale)

HP Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Nationals Bench Coach Chip Hale (balls/strikes; QOCY) in the top of the 4th inning of the Nationals-Braves game. With none out and none on, Nationals batter Tanner Roark walked, Victor Robles singled, Trea Turner grounded out, Bryce Harper walked, Anthony Rendon popped out, and Juan Soto flied out. Replays indicate that of the 21 callable pitches in the top of the 4th inning, Cuzzi properly officiated 21 of them (21/21, 100% accuracy), and the cited 3-0 pitch to Rendon was located over the inner edge of home plate and above the knees (px -.887, pz 1.751 [sz_bot 1.565]), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 5-0. The Nationals ultimately won the contest, 6-4.

This is Phil Cuzzi (10)'s third ejection of 2018.
Phil Cuzzi now has -8 points in the UEFL Standings (-12 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = -8).
Crew Chief Jeff Nelson now has -1 points in Crew Division (-2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = -1).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This is the 167th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is Washington's 9th ejection of 2018, 1st in the NL East (WAS 9; ATL, NYM 6; MIA 5; PHI 0).
This is Chip Hale's first ejection since July 8, 2016 (Quinn Wolcott; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Phil Cuzzi's 3rd ejection of 2018, 1st since August 14 (Ben Zobrist; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves, 9/16/18 | Video as follows: