Teachable - Will Little's Surprise Tag Play at Third

As a third base umpire with two outs and a runner on second, you might not be expecting a tag play to develop, but for Will Little that's precisely what happened during Baltimore's game at Oakland when Orioles third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez attempted to retire A's runner Sean Murphy on an infield ground ball.

Tmac breaks down positioning in this Teachable Moment.

With F5 Gutierrez playing just beyond the third base bag, Little begins this play close to the dirt cutout along the outfield fringe, hustling along the foul line toward third base as the tag play develops. By the time Gutierrez attempts a tag on Murphy, Little is in optimal position, having attained the keyhole angle to observe the successful tag.

The Athletics challenged this call, which was confirmed via Replay Review. | Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Teachable Analysis of Little's Inning-Ending Tag Play at Third Base (CCS)