Baseball rules corner: here are some interesting play situations from 2001 season - Brief Article

Baseball Digest, March, 2002 by Rich Marazzi

IT'S TIME FOR MY ANNUAL BOBSLED ride through the hills and valleys of the baseball rulebook. So fasten your seat belt while I review some interesting situations that occurred during the 2001 season.

MARCH 24--So you think spring training is a good time to relax and get a tan under the Arizona or Florida sun? Don't tell that to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa who was ejected in a game against file Mets.

In the second inning, Mets' pitcher Al Leiter, batting with the bases loaded, chopped a ground ball to second baseman Placido Polanco. Rey Ordonez smartly stopped to avoid a double play and then danced around Polanco. Leiter was out at first, but Ordonez advanced to second while Jay Payton scored.

La Russa argued with second base umpire Matt Hollowell that Ordonez was out of the base path. Tony objected too strongly and was sent packing to the beach.

On the same day, Diamondbacks' pitcher Randy Johnson threw a pitch that killed a dove flying in front of home plate. The bird flew over catcher Rod Barajas' head and landed a few feet from the plate amid a sea of feathers. It would be insensitive to refer to this scenario as a "fowl ball." But if this should happen to you while you're umpiring, simply kill the pitch and hope the bird survives.

APRIL 2--The Orioles hosted the Red Sox at Camden Yards. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Orioles had Melvin Mora on first when Brook Fordyce hit a line drive to Boston third baseman Shea Hillenbrand who threw wildly past first in an attempt to double up Mora. The ball went into dead territory. Mora was sent to third but missed second base en route and was called out on appeal.

According to rule 7.10(b-2), "When the ball is dead, no runner may return to touch a missed base or one he has left after he has advanced to and touched a base beyond the missed base."

APRIL 9--Braves' pitcher Kevin Millwood was on the mound at Shea Stadium facing New York Mets batter Mike Piazza with Robin Ventura on first and two outs.

Millwood, taking the sign from catcher Javy Lopez in his set position, dropped the ball.

No call was initially made prompting Metz manager Bobby Valentine to visit plate ump Rocky Roe and voice his opinion It was a productive meeting for Valentine as Millwood was charged with a balk and Ventura was sent to second Unfortunately for the Mets, Piazza flied out to end the inning.

APRIL 16--When a thrown ball hits an umpire, it is treated as if he is part of the ground The ball is alive and in play Hopefully, when the play is over so is the umpire

In a contest between the Diamondbacks and Cardinals in St. Louis, Jay Bell of the D'backs hit umpire Larry Young in the face with a throw. The play continued but Young had to be removed from the game

APRIL 22--The Dodgers' Tom Goodwin batted with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the tenth inning San Diego's Jay Witasick threw a two-strike breaking ball that hit Goodwin It would have forced in the winning run, except Goodwin swung at the pitch and missed Rule 605-f states, "A batter is out when he attempts to hit a third strike and the ball touches him." It should be noted that a strike is called whenever the batter offers at a pitch that hits him.

MAY 11--The Red Sox A's game at Fenway Park ended on a time play Boston had Trot Nixon on third, Carl Everett on second and Manny Ramirez on first with one out in the bottom of the ninth, trailing the A's, 7-6. Troy O'Leary flied to left fielder Mario Valdez, who caught the ball and threw to third, where shortstop Miguel Tejada tagged out Everett trying to advance before Nixon crossed the plate.

Because Everett was tagged out before Nixon reached the plate, the game ended with a 76 A's victory.

MAY 22--In the Cardinals-Brewers game, St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile fielded a ground ball that stuck in his glove He threw the glove and ball to first base for the legal putout.

JUNE 1--Indians' pitcher CC Sabathia got a rare four-inning win as a starter In a rain-shortened game at Yankee Stadium, Sabathia was relieved by Ricardo Rincon after four innings Rincon pitched the fifth inning but after the Indians batted in the top of the sixth inning, the game was called after five and a half innings with the Indians ahead, 7-4 Rule 10 19(b) reads, "In a five-inning game, credit the starting pitcher with a game won only if he has pitched at least four complete innings and his team not only is in the lead when he is replaced, but remains in the lead the remainder of the game."

JULY 3--In the Mariners-Rangers game at Texas, Seattle briefly lost a run in the first inning. The Mariners' Carlos Guillen was on third when Ranger's catcher Ivan Rodriguez attempted to pick him off. The throw missed the mark, and Guillen came home, apparently scoring But home plate umpire Dana DeMuth bumped Rodriguez during the throw and waved the play off, ruling umpire's interference against himself. (5.09-b)

AUGUST 12--Rule 5.09-b surfaced again in the Red Sox-Orioles contest in Baltimore. Melvin Mora of the Orioles stole second base but was sent back because plate ump Tim McClelland interfered with Boston catcher Doug Mirabelli's throw.