MLB Ejections 042-43 - Chad Fairchild (1-2; MIA-LAD)

HP Umpire Chad Fairchild ejected Marlins hitting coach Eric Duncan (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 2nd and Dodgers LF Matt Beaty (strike three call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Marlins-#Dodgers game. In the 2nd, with one out and none on, Marlins batter Isan Diaz took a 2-2 fastball from Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and waist-high (px 0.52, pz 2.36 [sz_top 3.49]), the call was correct. At the time of Duncan's ejection, the game was tied, 0-0.

In the 4th, with none out and the bases loaded, Dodgers batter Beaty took a 2-2 fastball from Marlins pitcher Ross Detwiler for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and belt-high (px -0.93, pz 2.47), the call was incorrect.* At the time of Beaty's ejection, the Dodgers were leading, 1-0. The Dodgers ultimately won the contest, 7-0.

These are Chad Fairchild (4)'s 1st and 2nd ejections of 2021.
Chad Fairchild now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2*[2 MLB] + 2 QOCY - 4 QOCN = 3).
Crew Chief CB Bucknor now has 2 points in Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 QOCY + 0 QOCN = 2).

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

*The Beaty pitch was located 0.19 horizontal inches from being deemed correct.

These are the 42nd and 43rd ejection reports of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 17th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Beaty was 0-2 (SO) in the contest.

This is Miami's 2nd ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the NL East (PHI 3; MIA, NYM 2; ATL, WAS 0).

This is Los Angeles' 2nd ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the NL West (SD 3; AZ, COL, LAD 2; SF 1).

This is Eric Duncan's first career MLB ejection.

This is Matt Beaty's first career MLB ejection.

This is Chad Fairchild's 1st ejection since September 2, 2020 (Ben Heller; QOC = U [Throwing At]).

Wrap: Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 5/15/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 041 - Chris Segal (2; Travis Shaw)

HP Umpire Chris Segal ejected Brewers 3B Travis Shaw (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Braves-#Brewers game. With two out and none on, Shaw took a 3-2 fastball from Braves pitcher Ian Anderson for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.01, pz 1.57 [sz_bot 1.63 / RAD 1.51]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Braves were leading, 4-0. The Braves ultimately won the contest, 5-1.

This is Chris Segal (96)'s 2nd ejection of 2021.

Chris Segal now has 7 points in the UEFL Standings (3 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 7).

Crew Chief Mark Carlson now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 QOCY = 3).

*This pitch was located 1.75 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 41st ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 16th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Shaw was 0-2 (SO) in the contest.

This is Milwaukee's 3rd ejection of 2021, T-1st in the NL Central (CIN, MIL 3; CHC, PIT 2; STL 1).

This is Travis Shaw's 1st ejection since Sept 21, 2018 (Marty Foster; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Chris Segal's 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 28 (Joe Girardi; QOC = U [Warnings]).

Wrap: Atlanta Braves vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 5/15/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 040 - Mark Ripperger (1; Derek Shelton)

HP Umpire Mark Ripperger ejected Pirates Manager Derek Shelton (ball one call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Giants-#Pirates game. With two out and two on (R1, R2), Giants batter Darin Ruf took a first-pitch curveball from Pirates pitcher Chris Stratton for a called first ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and (px 0.53, pz 1.50 [sz_bot 1.59 / RAD 1.47 / MOE 1.55]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 6-6. The Pirates ultimately won the contest, 8-6.

This is Mark Ripperger (90)'s 1st ejection of 2021.

Mark Ripperger now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 QOCY = 6).

Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 3).

*Pursuant to UEFL Rule 6-5-c, "Quality of Correctness only applies to the call made directly prior to ejection, or, if balls/called strikes during a single at-bat, any pitch called during that at bat." Accordingly, QOC is assigned based on the Ruf pitch. Had Shelton been ejected during the preceding Austin Slater at-bat or mound visit, QOC would have been based on the prior at-bat, in which the 1-1 pitch ruled ball two was located over the plate and above the knee (px 0.39, pz 1.64 [sz_bot 1.56 / RAD 1.44 / MOE 1.52]).

This is the 40th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 22nd manager ejection of 2021.

This is Pittsburgh's 2nd ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the NL Central (CIN 3; CHC, MIL, PIT 2; STL 1).

This is Derek Shelton's 1st ejection since Sept 1, 2020 (John Tumpane; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Mark Ripperger's 1st ejection since August 19, 2020 (Max Muncy; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 5/15/21 | Video as follows:

No, Giants, A Retired Batter Can't Also Pass A Runner

The Pittsburgh Pirates had to wait a few extra minutes to fully enjoy a walk-off win against San Francisco Friday night after Giants manager Gabe Kapler questioned HP Umpire Tom Hallion about Pittsburgh's baserunning during batter Gregory Polanco's game-ending sacrifice fly that scored Adam Frazier from third base.

Play: With one out and the bases loaded of a tied game in the bottom of the 11th inning, Pirates batter Polanco hit a fly ball to center fielder Austin Slater, scoring baserunner R3 Frazier to break the tie and award Pittsburgh a 3-2 victory.

Kapler Doth Protest: Although at first glance, Kapler's complaint might appear to have been a question of a runner leaving a base too early, this question is discarded for San Francisco never appealed on any of Pittsburgh's runners.

The second possibility, according to at least one of the broadcast crews, was that no runner other than Frazier advanced to and touched their next base...but with a sacrifice fly, no runner was forced to advance.

This leaves us with what Kapler actually argued: that batter-runner Polanco passed teammate and baserunner R1 Caleb Baragar at first base and, thus, the inning should have ended on a double play with no run scoring.

Rule: Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(9) states that a runner is out when they pass a "preceding runner before such runner is out." Kapler's argument was that because Polanco passed Baragar before Baragar was out, this is an out and, combined with the caught fly ball, should have been an inning-ending double play.

Double Jeopardy: Not so fast, Giants. Recall that batter-runner Polanco hit a sacrifice fly and was put out by outfielder Slater's catch. Accordingly, Polanco cannot be out for more than one reason: he might be out on the fly ball to the outfield or on the runners passing situation, but not both. Once Polanco is declared out for one of those reasons, he cannot be declared out for the other.

Although situations do exist where a retired runner's actions may cause the runner's teammate to be declared out for the retired runner's actions (e.g., interference), no individual player may be declared out more than once during any individual play.

The Other Runners: Assume that trailing batter-runner Polanco was declared out for passing lead runner Baragar prior to Slater catching the fly ball. Does this absolve all other runners of their tag-up (retouch) responsibilities on the eventually-caught fly ball (since the batter who hit it was already declared out for another reason)? Answer: No. OBR 5.09(c)(1) states that a runner is out on appeal when "After a fly ball is caught, they fail to retouch their original base before they or their original base is tagged."

In sum, batter-runner Polanco is out on the caught fly ball (or [but not and] for passing preceding runner Baragar) for the second out of the inning; Polanco cannot be declared out a second time. All runners appeared to properly tag up on the caught fly ball with Frazier scoring the Pirates' winning run. Game over, score the run.

A retired player cannot be declared out a second time. | Video as follows:

Umpire's Call as Dozier and Abreu Collide on Infield Pop Fly

When Royals batter Hunter Dozier and White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu ran into each other in a bone-chilling collision during a pop fly Friday in Chicago, HP Umpire Dan Bellino still had a job to do to sort out the rules as Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal caught the batted ball.

Play: With none out and a runner on first in the top of the 2nd inning, Dozier hit a 0-1 changeup from Chicago pitcher Lucas Giolito high in the air up the first base line. As catcher Grandal tracked the ball and positioned himself underneath in preparation for its descent, batter-runner Dozier ran to the right of Grandal to avoid the fielder. In doing so, however, Dozier ran straight into fielder Abreu, who had charged in from first base to make a play on the ball.

Rules: The two basic rules that govern interaction between players from opposing teams during a live ball are generally interference and obstruction, both of which can be found in the Official Baseball Rules' Definition of Terms. While interference by the offense is "an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play," obstruction is "the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner."

If we stop there it might appear fielder Abreu, because he was in the act of fielding the ball, might not have obstructed batter-runner Dozier after all and it might be Dozier who was guilty of interference. Not so fast, though.

When a Player Calls a Balk - Illegal Disengagement

Can a player call a balk? Although the answer is generally not, Chief Joe West's umpire crew in Colorado appeared to call the pitching infraction after Rockies baserunner Alan Trejo pointed out that Reds pitcher Luis Castillo had balked in the second inning on Thursday.

The Play: With one out and one on (R1), Rockies batter Chi Chi Gonzalez squared to bunt as Reds pitcher Luis Castillo delivered a 1-0 fastball high for ball two...or was it? Rockies baserunner R1 Alan Trejo pointed toward Castillo and appealed to 1B Umpire Bruce Dreckman that the pitcher had committed a balk. Dreckman called the crew together and Crew Chief Joe West emerged from the umpires' conference with a subtle gesture to award Trejo second base on Castillo's balk.

After a brief discussion with Reds manager David Bell, West again convened his crew before donning the headset to Replay Review HQ in New York, eventually resuming play with runner Trejo on second base and a 1-0 count on batter Gonzalez.

The Rule: Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a)(1) states it is a balk when "The pitcher, while touching their plate, makes any motion naturally associated with their pitch and fails to make such delivery" while OBR 6.02(a)(4) calls for a balk when, "The pitcher, while touching their plate, throws, or feints a throw to an unoccupied base, except for the purpose of making a play" and 6.02(a)(5) bluntly calls it a balk when, "the pitcher makes an illegal pitch."

With replays indicating that pitcher Castillo disengaged the rubber (stepped off with his back or pivot foot) after having already started his delivery, one could call this a 6.02(a)(1) balk for Castillo's failure to deliver the baseball while still engaged (or touching the pitcher's plate). Alternately, if one were to deem Castillo's actions a pickoff throw while disengaged, as in a jump-turn, OBR 6.02(a)(4) would apply since home plate by definition is an unoccupied base (remember, the batter is not a runner until such time as the batter becomes a batter-runner by putting the ball in play, ball four, etc.).

And if neither of those sound appealing, OBR 6.02(a)(5) is a catch all under the "illegal pitch" banner.

Getting the Call Right? Ideally, one would prefer that an umpire get this call in real-time.

As discussed in Jim Reynolds' ejection of Craig Counsell on Thursday, "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.'" (OBR 8.00 - General Instructions).

Related Post: MLB Ejection 039 - Jim Reynolds (2; Craig Counsell) (5/13/21).

That said, an umpire must weigh the value of a player or coach's comments—lest a plate umpire consider changing ball/strike calls during nearly every at-bat over the course of a game. In this situation, Dreckman upon hearing Trejo's complaint clearly felt it had merit and consulted his crew, in the spirit of the rulebook's General Instructions to Umpires. This isn't always the appropriate course of action, but with a ruling of this overt nature, getting the call right comes first.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 039 - Jim Reynolds (2; Craig Counsell)

1B Umpire Jim Reynolds ejected Brewers manager Craig Counsell (foul ball call; QOCY) in the top of the 3rd inning of the #Cardinals-#Brewers game. With one out and none on, Cardinals batter Dylan Carlson hit a 3-2 cutter from Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes on the ground to first baseman Daniel Vogelbach, who threw to Burnes covering at first base, originally ruled a fair ball and out. Upon crew consultation, the umpires determined the batted ball had hit Carlson's foot while he was standing in the batter's box and ruled the play a foul ball. Replays indicate the batted ball made contact with Carlson's right foot while in the box, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 1-0. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 2-0.

This is Jim Reynolds (77)'s 2nd ejection of 2021.

Jim Reynolds now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).

Crew Chief Jim Reynolds now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 QOCY = 3).

This is the 39th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 21st manager ejection of 2021.

This is Milwaukee's 2nd ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the NL Central (CIN 3; CHC, MIL 2; PIT, STL 1).

This is Craig Counsell's 1st ejection since Sept 15, 2020 (Ron Kulpa; QOC = U [Fighting]).

This is Jim Reynolds' 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 3 (Nick Castellanos; QOC = U [USC-NEC]).

Wrap: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 5/13/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 038 - Ryan Wills (1; Ramon Laureano)

HP Umpire Ryan Wills ejected Athletics CF Ramon Laureano (strike three call; QOCN) in the top of the 3rd inning of the #Athletics-#RedSox game. With two out and one on (R1), A's batter Laureano took a 1-2 sinker from Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and below the midpoint (px -1.10, pz 3.05 [sz_top 3.32 / RAD 3.44]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 1-1. The Athletics ultimately won the contest, 4-1.

This is Ryan Wills (118)'s 1st ejection of 2021.
Ryan Wills now has 0 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 AAA - 4 Incorrect Call = 0).
Crew Chief Ron Kulpa now has 5 points in Crew Division (5 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 5).

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

*This pitch was located 2.23 horizontal inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 38th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 15th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Laureano was 0-2 (SO) in the contest.

This is Oakland's 2nd ejection of 2021, T-1st in the AL West (LAA, OAK, TEX 2; SEA 1; HOU 0).

This is Ramon Laureano's 1st ejection since August 9, 2020 (Ted Barrett; QOC = U [Fighting]).

This is Ryan Wills' first career MLB ejection.

Wrap: Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox, 5/12/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 037 - Bill Miller (1; Clint Frazier)

HP Umpire Bill Miller ejected Yankees LF Clint Frazier (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 5th inning of the #Yankees-#Rays game. With one out and none on, Frazier took a 3-2 cutter from Rays pitcher Ryan Yarbrough for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and below the midpoint (px -0.65, pz 3.12 [sz_top 3.41 / RAD 3.53]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were officiated properly, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 1-0.

This is Bill Miller (26)'s 1st ejection of 2021.
Bill Miller now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 3).
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 pitch was located 3.17 horizontal and 5.88 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 37th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 14th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Frazier was 0-2 in the contest.

This is New York's 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st in the AL East (NYY 2; BAL, BOS 1; TB, TOR 0).

This is Clint Frazier's first career MLB ejection.

This is Bill Miller's 1st ejection since Sept 23, 2020 (Brian Butterfield; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 5/12/21 | Video as follows:

NCAA Softball Interference Prompts Rules Check

When Loyola (Chicago)'s catcher hit Drake's retired batter-runner in the back with a throw following a caught bunt during a college softball game, NCAA umpires ruled a double play, but not after consulting both the rulebook and making a phone call to a rules authority.

With one out and one on (R1) in the first inning, a popped up bunt at home plate quickly turned into an air out thanks to a diving grab by the catcher, who threw toward first base in attempt to retire R1 for failing to tag up. However, F2's throw hit the retired batter-runner in the back, allowing R1 to advance to second base and kicking off a delay to sort out what would ultimately be ruled a double play.

We preface this by acknowledging that baseball's rules are different than softball's.

Specifically, softball's interference rule is defined as "an act that denies a defensive player a reasonable opportunity to make a play (field/throw) anywhere on the playing field. The act may be intentional or unintentional and the ball must have been playable." NCAA softball also has a specific rule for retired members of the offense (12.17.3), which states, "An offensive player, who no longer has status (a retired member of the offense or a player who has scored), may not interfere with a defensive player making a play on an active runner."

Whether one deems that, technically speaking, the retired batter-runner interfered with the catcher or with the fielder taking the throw at first base (similar to runner's lane interference's general principle that the interference with a thrown ball is with the fielder receiving the throw) is ultimately immaterial.

The only question here is whether the retired batter-runner's actions (or lack thereof) by standing on the foul line with her back turned to the catcher and (very most likely) unintentionally being struck by the catcher's throw constitutes interference: did this deprive the defense a reasonable opportunity to make a play?

For what it's worth, in MLB, Official Baseball Rule 6.01(a)(5) Comment specifically excludes this interaction from being deemed interference: "If the batter or a runner continues to advance or returns or attempts to return to their last legally touched base after they have been put out, they shall not by that alone be considered as confusing, hindering or impeding the fielders." For more information, see the related post in which retired Yankees runner Matt Holliday slides into first base and effectively gets in the way of Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland. Umpire Gary Cederstrom's crew no-called the interference.

Related Post: MLB Denies Boston's Protest, Interference No-Call Upheld (7/17/17).

Finally, although NCAA Softball does not mirror OBR's General Instructions to Umpires, the umpires by referencing the physical rulebook and ultimately calling a supervisor or other instructional person (similar to MLB umpires accessing Replay Review/New York for a Rules Check) exemplified OBR's instruction: "It is better to consult the rules and hold up the game ten minutes to decide a knotty problem than to inadvertently misapply the rules."

Also, from a game management standpoint, the controversial decision-making (one out, R1 vs two-outs) is sent to someone off the field and the on-field crew becomes observers, so when the coach is unhappy with the outcome, it is no longer because of an on-field ruling, but because of an off-field interpretation.

Note: This General Instruction was changed in 2020 to reflect MLB's new stance that protests shall no longer be allowed. The 2019 version stated, "It is better to consult the rules and hold up the game ten minutes to decide a knotty problem than to have a game thrown out on protest and replayed."

Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 035-36 - Manny Gonzalez (2-3; ARI x2)

HP Umpire Manny Gonzalez ejected Diamondbacks 3B Eduardo Escobar and manager Torey Lovullo (strike two call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Dbacks-#Mets game. With none out and none on, Escobar took a 1-1 cutter from Mets pitcher Jacob Barnes for a called second strike before striking out swinging on the next pitch. Replays indicate the 1-1 pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.04, pz 1.31 [sz_bot 1.50 / RAD 1.38 / MOE 1.29]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejections the Mets were leading, 3-1. The Mets ultimately won the contest, 4-2.

These are Manny Gonzalez (79)'s 2nd and 3rd ejections of 2021.
Manny Gonzalez now has 12 points in the UEFL Standings (4 Prev + 2*[2 MLB + 2 QOCY] = 12).
Crew Chief Jeff Nelson now has 4 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 2 Correct Call = 4).

*This pitch was located 0.24 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

These are the 35th and 36th ejection reports of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 13th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Escobar was 0-2 (SO) in the contest.

This is the 20th manager ejection of 2021.

This is Arizona's 1/2nd ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the NL West (SD 3; AZ, COL 2; LAD, SF 1).

This is Eduardo Escobar's 1st ejection since July 15, 2018 (Ryan Additon; QOC = U [Fighting-USC]).

This is Torey Lovullo's 1st ejection since Sept 20, 2020 (Adam Hamari; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Manny Gonzalez's 2/3rd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 11 (Matt Shoemaker; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets, 5/9/21 | Video as follows: