Ask UEFL - The 16-Minute Pitching Change or C'Mon Cuz

We received many requests to cover an odd situation in New York when Yankees manager Aaron Boone's attempt to effect a pitching change prompted a 16-minute delay as umpires consulted Replay HQ to determine its legality.

Tampa Bay batter Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch, leading to a brief injury delay.

As this was happening, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake visited pitcher Miguel Castro on the mound.

HP Umpire Cory Blaser strode to the mound as the meeting broke up, and while returning to home plate noticed Tampa Bay had sent up Ji-Man Choi to pinch hit for due-up batter Isaac Paredes, signaling to the press box Choi's entry into the game.

Following this, but before a pitch was thrown, Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka walked back to the mound. After this meeting broke up, skipper Boone emerged from the dugout and attempted to make a pitching change, with umpires originally denying Boone's request due to a prohibited second mound visit during the same at-bat.

After a lengthy delay during which Crew Chief Phil Cuzzi consulted via headset with Replay Review, Boone was finally permitted to substitute pitcher Lucas Luetge into the game to replace Castro. The time between Arozarena's HBP and the first pitch to Choi was 16 minutes.

Analysis & Rules: According to postgame comments from Cuzzi, the confusion pertained to when, in relation to Choi being announced as the pinch-hitter, Blake visited the mound. By rule, two mound visits during the same at-bat are prohibited but if the offense substitutes its batter between mound visits, then the second mound visit is legal (and requires removal of the pitcher due to it being the second mound visit of the inning).

The relevant rule is OBR 5.10(l)(4): "If a pinch-hitter is substituted for this batter, the manager or coach may make a second visit to the mound, but must remove the pitcher from the game."

Replays clearly indicate HP Umpire Blaser signaled Choi's entry as the pinch-hitter after Blake's mound visit with Castro, which means that Blake's mound visit occurred while original batter Paredes was still in the game, while Boone's pitching change visit occurred during pinch hitter Choi's at-bat, the first such visit during Choi's at-bat. This is legal.

Sidebar: THIS right here is the reason plate umpires signal to the press box and scorekeeper when to make the public address announcement on substitute players. Timing is important and Blaser's signal clearly came well after Blake visited the mound.

OBR 5.10(j) states the substitute is considered officially in the game when the announcement is made. If no announcement is made, the player is officially in the game when..."[A batter] takes their place in the batter's box."

For the record, catcher Higashioka's trip to the mound after Choi's entry as the pinch hitter, by rule, is not considered a mound visit by a position player (as opposed to a coach's visit) due to the offensive substitution. The reference is Official Baseball Rule 5.10(m)(2)(D): "The following shall not constitute visits—Visits by position players to the mound after the announcement of an offensive substitution but prior to a subsequent pitch or play." This observation has no bearing on this particular play, since it pertains to coach's visits, but it is still notable relative to the limitation on team visits during a game.

Moral of the Story: Read your rulebooks | Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Confusion as Cuzzi's crew calls to consult crackerjack content connoisseur (NYY)