Baseball Rules Corner - Brief Article

Baseball Digest, April, 2001 by Rich Marazzi

Disappearing baseballs can cause some confusion during a game

FROM THIS CORNER, THE STRANGEST play of the 2000 season occurred in St. Louis on July 1 when the Card-inals hosted the Astros. Here is what happened.

The Cardinals had a runner on first when Edgar Renteria hit a sharp grounder to Astros' third baseman Chris Truby. Suddenly the ball disappeared from sight as it found its way into Truby's unbuttoned shirt. Truby kept his cool, reached in and removed the ball that had traveled to his waist.

No call was made on the play by the umpires and Renteria was credited with a base hit. The rulebook addresses baseballs that lodge in the umpire's mask or paraphernalia (5.09-g) but not a player's uniform. A baseball that lodges in an umpire's mask or paraphernalia should be ruled a dead ball and runners are allowed to advance one base. The rule also reads, "A ball lodging in the catcher's protector or uniform is a live ball and in play." And keep in mind that although the rules do not cover all situations where a ball might vanish from sight, umpires can always refer to 9.01-c and rule on any point not specifically covered in the rulebook.

With the above in mind, let's take a journey into the intriguing chapter of disappearing baseballs.

To begin with, Truby is not the only player to ever lose a ball in his jersey. Fans at an Athletics-Red Sox game in 1948 had a titillating experience. Boston second baseman Billy Goodman hit a ground ball to A's shortstop Eddie Joost. While all eyes in the park were focused on the play, the baseball suddenly disappeared into the sleeve of Joost. From that point the sphere made its way to the waist of his shirt. Ted Williams, who was on third, was so startled by the play he didn't even attempt to score.

Absurd you say? There have been other instances where baseballs have flitted into areas where "the sun don't shine". One time former Washington Senator pitcher Dutch Leonard threw one of his famed knucklers to an A's batter who lined a shot that found its way into Leonard's loosely zippered pants. While Leonard frantically tried to free the entangled white sphere from his knickers, the batter-runner reached first.

Sam Jethroe, the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1950, once had a rather shocking experience on the basepath between first and second base. The zany play took place in a minor league game between Toronto and Havana.

With "The Jet" on first base for Toronto and one out, Lauren Babe grounded to Vic Davalillo, the Cubans' second baseman, who tossed to shortstop Elio Chacon to start a 4-6-3 double play. Chacon fired to first but the ball got lost in flight on its way to first base. No one knew what happened to the ball until Jethroe reached inside his shirt where it was resting snuggly.

The umps had to rely on 9.01-c on August 5, 1956 when Pueblo met Sioux City in a Western League game. Pueblo first baseman Larry Stankey hit a ball that appeared to be leaving the park in fair territory when the tights went out. After a 51-minute delay, the lights were turned on and a search began for the missing baseball that vanished into the night.

The umpires ruled it a homer as the ball did not turn up in the park. Sioux City protested the decision but withdrew it since they won the game 7-4.

Syracuse outfielder Rick Bladt was spooked during an International League game against Memphis on July 30, 1976. Memphis batter Art Gardner hit a drive off the center field wall in the bottom of the third inning and raced around the bases for an apparent inside-the-park home run. While Gardner was circling the bases, Bladt was doing his best Kojak imitation by searching the outfield gardens for the estranged ball.

The umpires, unable to locate the ball, had Gardner return to second and ruled the "missing baseball" mystery a ground rule double. To everyone's dismay, the little white critter was never found.

As stated earlier, the language in the rulebook covers baseballs that lodge in an umpire's mask or paraphernalia. Although this rule seldom comes alive, it did make its way into the AstrosWhite Sox game on July 1,1998. After a wild pitch bounced into plate umpire Gerry Davis' pocket, the ball was ruled dead and Ray Durham, the Chicago runner on third, scored while Houston catcher Brad Ausmus scurried around home plate trying to find the ball. Even if Ausmus found the ball, Durham would have been allowed to score per rule 5.09-g.

Baseballs that lodge in the catcher's equipment are treated differently. In such cases the ball should be kept alive which is what plate umpire Richie Humphry did on July 13,1985 in a game between the Yankees and Rangers.

Rickey Henderson was at bat for the Yankees facing Mike Mason with Andre Robertson on first when one of Mason's pitches trickled behind catcher Gino Petralli's chest protector. "I didn't even see it," said Humphry. "I thought it was around his (Petralli) chin and he grabbed it out quick." Petralli explained, "The ball went between my chest protector just far enough to reach it. Nobody said anything." According to the playing rules, nobody should say anything.