Consecutive Catcher's Interference Calls Doom Angels

Consecutive catcher's interference awards against Angels catcher Matt Thais helped Boston rally to beat LA at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox benefiting from a baseball rule not usually seen at the MLB level but enforced two times in the 8th inning by HP Umpire Cory Blaser.

Blaser actually had three different catcher's interference calls in the same game: one against Red Sox catcher Connor Wong during Angels batter Shohei Ohtani's 2nd inning at-bat and two catcher's interferences against Angels catcher Thais during Boston batter Raimel Tapia and Reese McGuire's 8th inning at-bats to produce two consecutive Boston baserunners awarded their bases due to the same rules infraction.

Catcher's interference (CI in OBR, NCAA; known as obstruction in NFHS) ordinarily occurs when a batter's bat makes contact with a catcher's mitt during a swing attempt and is defined as a defensive infraction which prevents a batter from hitting a pitched ball. The default penalty for catcher's interference is a dead ball and first base award for the batter, although in some cases the interference can be ignored after-the-fact.

For example, if the batter despite the catcher's interference hits a home run, the interference is ignored and the home run stands. If the batter hits a sacrifice fly, the offensive team manager can choose to accept the default catcher's interference penalty (an award of first base, runners return) or to decline the penalty and accept the result of the play (sacrifice fly, run scores).

Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(3) formally declares this: "The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out when the catcher or any fielder interferes with them. If a play follows the interference, the manager of the offense may advise the plate umpire that they elect to decline the interference penalty and accept the play. Such election shall be made immediately at the end of the play."

The catcher's box extends eight feet in back of the point of home plate, and the lines are considered part of the box: catchers can back up if they feel they are too close to the batter in an attempt to avoid interfering with the batter's swing.

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Angels suffer two catcher's INT calls in one inning; Boston takes the lead (CCS)