With one out and a runner on first, a ground ball to Astros second baseman Jose Altuve turns into an improvisation exercise as Altuve initially misplays the batted ball, but quickly recovers to attempt to force out Rays baserunner Randy Arozarena at second base under the watchful eye of 2B Umpire Nelson.
The clue for an umpire in this situation—and mainly for smaller crews in which an umpire may initially consider splitting potential responsibilities between possible plays at either first or second base—is Altuve's direction after booting the baseball.
Umpire Nelson adjusts his positioning accordingly and enters the keyhole angle to take this play at second base and keep an eye on the runner's legs while observing (in this case, visually due to the soft toss) the fielder's receipt of the throw. Ordinarily we may listen for the sound of the glove, but the closer the throwing fielder to the base, the less likely it is that the sound will be detectable, which means umpires must line themselves up to see both the foot on the base and ball in the glove, preferably along the same visual path to avoid having to dart eyes back and forth.
Video as follows:
Video as follows:
