Rays Run Out of Mound Visits, What Happens Now?

The Rays were forced to replace pitcher Jason Adam in the 9th inning when pitching coach Kyle Snyder tried making a mound visit when the team had already exhausted its four-visit limit, after Red Sox manager Alex Cora argued the umpires' initial decision, which appeared to allow the pitcher to remain in the game.

The call went to Replay Review as a crew chief-initiated rules check, and upon review Crew Chief Phil Cuzzi ordered Rays manager Kevin Cash replace Adam with Erasmo Ramírez, who had been warning in the bullpen during the extended replay delay.

Turns out Tampa Bay didn't even need Adam after all, as Ramírez enduced a game-ending groundout on the very first batter he faced, after Adams had gotten the Rays into trouble, with a walk and single to put the tying run on base.

As for the rule, the confusion dates back prior to the beginning of the 2024 season, when MLB issued a press release stating, "Mound visits will be reduced from five per game to four, and an extra mound visit will still be awarded for the ninth inning if the defensive team has zero remaining at the end of the eighth inning."

Turns out...the press release was wrong, or at the very least misleading.

Official Baseball Rule 5.10(m)(4) states, "A manager or coach who crosses the foul line on their way to the mound after their team has exhausted its mound visits must make a pitching change, unless the pitcher has not pitched to a minimum of three consecutive batters [in such case, the pitcher will be replaced after the third batter]," which conflicts with MLB's prior statement about an "extra" mound visit.

Replays indicate that despite HP Umpire Alex Tosi's warning that the Rays had already used their allotted four mound visits, coach Snyder nonetheless crossed the foul line with the intent of speaking with his struggling pitcher, meaning Tampa's pitcher had to be replaced...and because no one was warming in the bullpen at the time, had umpires immediately ordered the pitching change, Snyder would have been ejected for delay of game ("In circumstances in which a team is forced to make an unintended pitching change by operation of this Rule, and there is no relief pitcher warming up in the bullpen, the manager or coach who violated the Rule by exceeding his team’s allotted number of mound visits shall be subject to ejection from the game" [OBR 5.10[m][4]]).

Because Ramírez was warming up in the bullpen when the pitching change was finally ordered, there was no ejection.

It turns out the extra mound visit after eight innings does exist in the rulebook under OBR 5.10(m)(3), but it only applies to catchers in very specific circumstances: "Cross Up in Signs. In the event a team has exhausted its allotment of mound visits in a game (or extra inning) and the home plate umpire determines that the catcher and pitcher did not have a shared understanding of the location or type of pitch that had been signaled by the catcher (otherwise referred to as a “cross up”), the home plate umpire may, upon request of the catcher, allow the catcher to make a brief mound visit."

That makes this confusion a real cross up in rules communication. | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 013 - Laz Diaz (1; Skip Schumaker)

HP Umpire Laz Diaz ejected Marlins manager Skip Schumaker (pitch clock violation no-call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Giants-#Marlins game. With two out and none on, following Marlins batter Avisaíl García's strikeout, Giants manager Bob Melvin visited the mound to replace pitcher Ryan Walker. Giants left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Rogers, warming in the bullpen, entered the playing field and began jogging toward the infield, only for Melvin to then signal with his right arm that he wanted a right-handed pitcher instead. Rogers returned to the bullpen as relief pitcher Camilo Doval (having since warmed up where Rogers had been pitching from moments earlier) stepped onto the warning track. After subsequent Marlins batter Nick Gordon took a first-pitch strike from Doval to make the count 0-1, Schumaker was ejected arguing the count should be 1-1 due to a pitch clock violation on San Francisco for taking too long to provide a substitute pitcher.

The pitch timer rules state that when a substitute pitcher is called into the game, the pitching change timer is started upon the umpire's signal to the bullpen. However, regardless of how much time has expired, if the substitute pitcher steps onto the warning track with under two minutes remaining on the clock, then the timer is automatically reset to 2:00, which is what the clock operator in Miami did here. Furthermore, Official Baseball Rule 5.10(j) pertaining to substitutions states that a pitcher not yet announced is not considered into the game until "they take their place on the pitcher’s plate"; there is no mechanism for a pitch clock violation in this scenario provided the pitcher concluded his on-field warmups timely, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Giants were leading, 4-3. The Giants ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Laz Diaz (63)'s 1st ejection of 2024.

This is the 13th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 4th manager ejection of 2024.

Ejection Tally: 4 Managers, 2 Coaches, 7 Players.

This is Miami's 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL East (MIA, NYM, WAS 1; ATL, PHI 0).

This is Skip Schumaker's 1st ejection since Sept 27, 2023 (Ramon De Jesus; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Laz Diaz's 1st ejection since September 7, 2023 (Turner Ward; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Francisco Giants vs Miami Marlins, 4/15/24 | Video as follows:

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:

What's an MLB Umpire to do About a Lineup Card Snafu

Tuesday night in Philadelphia and Seattle, two teams—Phillies and Mariners—were caught by two other teams—Brewers and Orioles—attempting to use players either not listed on the umpires' official lineup card (PHI vs MIL) or not listed on a copy of an opposing team's card (SEA vs BAL). What is the roster/substitution rule and what is the proper procedure for dealing with a player not properly listed?

Philadelphia: As the 6th inning of Tuesday's game against Milwaukee concluded, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi went to the bullpen to bring in relief pitcher Enyel De Los Santos. As De Los Santos arrived to throw practice pitches, Brewers manager Craig Counsell called to the umpires about a potential lineup error. HP Umpire Dan Merzel met with Crew Chief and 1B Umpire Marvin Hudson, 2B Umpire Quinn Wolcott, and 3B Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt and the umpires determined that De Los Santos was not listed on the Phillies' lineup card—not as a starter and not as a substitute/bench player. The umpires ordered De Los Santos out of the game and Philadelphia brought in pitcher David Hale (who was properly listed on the lineup card as a substitute).

Seattle: Tuesday's Orioles-Mariners game began with a walk to O's leadoff batter Cedric Mullins. As soon as Mullins' at-bat concluded, Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde exited his dugout to speak with HP Umpire Lance Barrett, alleging that Seattle improperly started Sam Haggerty in left field instead of Taylor Trammell as listed on the lineup card Hyde purportedly possessed. Upon consultation with 1B Umpire Tim Timmons, 2B Umpire Carlos Torre, and 3B Umpire + Crew Chief Alfonso Marquez, the umpires deemed that the official lineup card—the version the umpires were given—properly listed Haggerty as a starter and, thus, no further action was taken.

Relevant Rules: Official Baseball Rule 4.03 (Exchange of Lineup Cards) is not just exorbitantly boring, it has been superseded by COVID protocols and technology: when lineups are locked in, they are exchanged electronically via MLB mobile app prior to the game and, thanks to this, all four umpires now carry lineup cards on the field. In 2021, there is no physical pre-game exchange of lineup cards.

Red Sox Protest Rays' Pitcher Substitution, DH Termination

Boston Red Sox Manager Alex Cora protested Rays skipper Kevin Cash's pitcher substitution and designated hitter termination in Tampa Bay, bringing Chief Angel Hernandez and his umpire crew together for a lengthy delay upon which the umpires ultimately ruled the DH transaction legal.

For reasons we will discuss below, the umpires did get this play right: we will read Cora's assertion that two pitchers may not be on the field while a DH is in the dugout, but we will also explain that no such rule exists as that alluded to by Cora, and that Tampa did not illegally keep a DH if for no other reason than Tampa was the defensive team and did not have a chance to bat prior to Cora's protest.

We will discuss what rules are involved and what moves were made. Turn your Official Baseball Rules books to Rules 5.10 (Substitution), 5.11 (The Designated Hitter), and 6.03 (Batting Out of Turn).