Close Call of Week: Russia Goal Disallowed v USA Hockey

Our Close Call of the Week flies in from Sochi, Russia's Bolshoy Ice Dome where Team USA knocked off Russia in an epic shootout thriller of men's hockey. At the heart of the matter, however, was an apparent Russian goal late in the third period that was waived off after video instant replay review, allowing the game to proceed to overtime in the first place.

With 4:40 remaining in the third period, Russian skater Fedor Tyutin shot from the upper offensive zone on and in goal for what was then ruled a good goal and 3-2 Russian lead. After referee Brad Meier's initial mechanic of "score the goal"—the referee must make this call when a puck finds its way into the net unless another call (the waive-off) is necessary—all four officials got together before formal video review at the scorer's bench.

This IIHF screenshot release shows the goal net off its
mooring at the time of the disallowed goal (4:40).

Pursuant to International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Rule 471(a)5, which states "no goal shall be allowed...if the goal net has been displaced from its normal position, or the frame of the goal net is not completely flat on the ice."

After video review, the goal was negated and play resumed from the point of interruption. Replays indicate USA goalkeeper Jonathan Quick appeared to displace the goal net while attempting a routine hockey move. His actions cannot conclusively be classified as deliberate or intentional.

Had the referees deemed Quick deliberately displaced the goal net, no goal would have been awarded to Tyutin for the infraction. Rule 554b states that if the goalkeeper "deliberately displaces the goal frame from its normal position, [he] shall be assessed a minor penalty." As for awarding a goal, Rule 554b(d) states that a goal may be awarded only if a goalkeeper has been removed from the ice when the infraction occurs; otherwise a minor penalty is assessed unless the criteria for a penalty shot are met (last two minutes of game or overtime; opponent in control with no opponent between him and the goalkeeper with a reasonable opportunity to score).

Contrary to popular belief, it was not referee Brad Meier of the USA and NHL who unilaterally ruled "no goal" because as a referee, he did not have access to video instant replay. Instead, that responsibility fell to the video goal judge, who reviewed whether the puck had entered the net prior to the goal frame being displaced, as in IIHF Rule 330(b)2. The goal judges listed for the match include Chris Carlson of Canada and Andre Schrader of Germany; the video goal judge is not included.

Procedural Rule 4 states that in the case of an inconclusive video review, the referee makes the final decision. As evidenced by the attached photograph, visual evidence tends to conclusively indicate the goal frame was dislodged, as in 471(a)5.

IIHF referee supervisor Konstantin Komissarov soon thereafter confirmed the no goal ruling and video review process was proper and correct. Interestingly enough, prior to the Vancouver games of 2010, Komissarov and NHL officiating director Terry Gregson mulled whether to assign and allow Canadian referee Dan O'Halloran and Canadian referee Bill McCrearly and Canadian linesman Jean Morin to officiate the gold medal game between Canada and the United States. At the time, Gregson posed a philosophical question saying, "Will we be using the best or are there political ramifications to our decisions?"

The IIHF and NHL referee supervisors then voted to put three Canadian officials on the Canada-USA game. The fourth—linesman Stefan Fonselius—was from Finland. Canada ultimately won that contest in overtime, 3-2.

A similar IIHF-specific rule concerns the puck on the net itself, which explains why play was not immediately blown dead when the puck deflected onto the netting itself with two seconds remaining in overtime: "When the puck is lodged in the outside netting of the goal net for more than three sec- onds or frozen against the goal net between opposing players, the Referee shall stop the play and face-off the puck" (IIHF Rule 481).

Had this game been played under NHL rules, the goal would have been allowed, as "the goal frame shall be considered in its proper position when at least a portion of the flexible peg(s) are still inside both the goal post and the hole in the ice. The flexible pegs could be bent, but as long at least a portion of the flexib;e peg(s) are still in the hole in the ice and the goal post, the goal frame shall be deemed to be in its proper position. The goal frame could be raised somewhat on one post (or both), but as long as the flexible pegs are still in contact with the holes in the ice and the goal posts, the goal frame shall not be deemed to be displaced" (NHL Rule 78.4).

International Rules also propelled Team USA through the shootout, allowing repeated use of successful winger T.J. Oshie, who ultimately scored the game-winner in the eighth round.

Wrap: United States vs. Russian Federation (XXII Olympic Winter Games Hockey), 2/15/14

MLB Names PBUC's Justin Klemm Director of Instant Replay

MLB named PBUC's Justin Klemm Director of Instant Replay for the 2014 season as announced by MLB Senior VP of Baseball Operations Peter Woodfork. Klemm served as the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp.'s Executive Director since 2008 after being hired as a field evaluator and instructor in 2006. He is a graduate of the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring and a former minor league call-up umpire. Klemm also runs MiLB's The Umpire School.

Justim Klemm

In his present role as Director of Instant Replay, Klemm will manage the New York Replay Command Center at MLB HQ where his duties will include the supervision of umpires assigned to Replay, staffing umpire supervisors and coordinating, with MLBAM, instant replay procedural configurations at all 30 ballparks.

MLB also made the formal announcement that confirms UEFL's January news break concerning the hiring of seven minor league umpires to the full-time MLB staff.

To recap, the hired umpires include Jordan Baker, Lance Barrett, Cory Blaser, Mike Estabrook, Mike Muchlinski, David Rackley and DJ Reyburn.

MLB additionally confirmed two new crew chiefs for the 2014 season in Bill Miller and Jeff Nelson, who both have had extensive experience as acting crew chiefs throughout the recent course of their careers.

Source: MLB names Klemm director of instant replay (Major League Baseball)

UmpTalk Podcast Interview: Gil & Chris Discuss CCS/UEFL

CCS/UEFL's interview with UmpTalk Podcast is now available as an audio download or stream on the UmpTalk website. For this interview, UmpTalk's Chris Kamler and UEFL's Gil Imber sat down to talk about baseball's sabermetrics revolution (and how SABR relates to umpiring), the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League and umpire issues near and dear to our hearts—namely instant replay complications and fallacies, the truth about player/coach/fan rules knowledge and, most importantly, solid statistical evidence that confirms just how good professional umpires are at their jobs (spoiler: it's 99.5% accurate at the MLB level).

UmpTalk is an umpire-focused podcast whose website describes its mission as "supporting amateur, collegiate and professional umpires by providing advice from their peers." From training and commentary to podcasts featuring Major League, NCAA and all other levels of baseball, UmpTalk is a chance to discuss and listen to conversations about umpiring.

About UmpTalk Podcast host Chris Kamler: "Chris is a sports journalist and columnist for The Platte County Landmark. Chris has also been a baseball umpire for the past 25 years. He is a veteran of the Jim Evans Umpiring School and was a candidate in professional baseball.  He has won Umpire of the Year awards in several different leagues and has served as a scheduler and Umpire-In-Chief for 15 years.  Following a career-ending spinal injury, Chris’s focus now is on giving back to the umpires that trained him by passing along his experiences.  As the producer of several other podcasts and websites in Kansas City, Chris has experience in telling stories in an irreverent way."

Click here to visit and listen to UmpTalk's Episode #14: Gil Imber of Close Call Sports.

Baseball Rules in the Real World: Multiple Mound Visits

UEFL continues its umpiring series "Baseball Rules in the Real World" with Multiple Mound Visits, a look back at two instances (one inadvertent yet not incidental) of a manager visiting the mound twice during the same at-bat, or at-bat intermission.

The first situation is the easier one. LAA-HOU, May 9, 2013: As Angels left-handed batter JB Shuck stood on deck in the top of the 7th inning of a close game, Astros manager Bo Porter relieved his right-handed pitcher, Paul Clemens from the game, replacing him with southpaw Wesley Wright for the coveted lefty-lefty matchup. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia countered Porter's move by pinch hitting for Shuck with righty Luis Jimenez so as to restore the lefty-righty duel. As a result, Porter revisited the mound and removed Wright from the game, replacing him with the right-handed Hector Ambriz for a righty-righty face-off.

One problem—Wright hadn't thrown a single pitch. As Scioscia stormed out of the visiting dugout to argue with crew chief Fieldin Culbreth, Ambriz warmed up and after umpire discussion, he was allowed to remain in the game. Scioscia's Angels elected to play the game under protest, a game that, had the Angels lost, would have resulted in the first upheld MLB protest in over 20 years.

Here's why: When Wright—whom all sources confirm was not injured or otherwise incapacitated—left the game without pitching to a single batter, the Astros violated OBR Rule 3.05(b), which states, in part, "If the pitcher is replaced, the substitute pitcher shall pitch to the batter then at bat, or any substitute batter, until such batter is put out or reaches first base, or until the offensive team is put out, unless the substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief’s judgment, incapacitates him for further play as a pitcher."

The Comment for this rule addresses a manager (Porter) who attempts to violate Rule 3.05(b): "If a manager attempts to remove a pitcher in violation of Rule 3.05 (c) the umpire shall notify the manager of the offending club that it cannot be done. If, by chance, the umpire-in-chief has, through oversight, announced the incoming improper pitcher, he should still corrrect the situation before the improper pitcher pitches. Once the improper pitcher delivers a pitch he becomes the proper pitcher."

The umpires failed to enforce this rule, which is why the Angels protested and had an excellent case for affirmation—until they expectedly dropped the protest as a result of winning the ballgame, 6-5.

The second situation is trickier, also involves confusion regarding the pitching change rules and the double mound visit and did not result in a protest, which may have come in handy as the offended team ended up losing the game.

MLB: Umpires erred in rule application.

SF-LAD, July 20, 2010: With one out and the bases loaded in a 5-4 ballgame, Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton received a pep talk in the form of a mound visit by acting skipper Don Mattingly (manager Joe Torre had been ejected earlier in the game as had bench coach Bob Schaefer). At the meeting's seeming conclusion, Mattingly calmly walked down the pitcher's mound and onto the infield grass as first baseman James Loney said something to get the acting manager's attention. To better hear Loney in a Stadium with 53,381 fans, Mattingly stepped back onto the mound to converse with his infield before returning to the Dodgers dugout.

Manager Bruce Bochy then emerged from the Giants' first-base dugout and appealed that Mattingly's false start step-off constituted two mound visits to the same pitcher during the same inning, which meant Broxton had to come out of the ballgame. Crew Chief Tim McClelland agreed and Mattingly was forced to lift Broxton in favor of George Sherrill, who proceeded to surrender a two-RBI double to batter Andres Torres, giving the Giants to take a 6-5 lead before Travis Schlichting allowed run number seven to score. The Giants ultimately won the game, 7-5. No protest was filed.

After the game, league officials confirmed to multiple sources that umpires erred by not allowing Broxton to face Torres, pursuant to Rule 8.06(b) Comment, which states, "In a case where a manager has made his first trip to the mound and then returns the second time to the mound in the same inning with the same pitcher in the game and the same batter at bat, after being warned by the umpire that he cannot return to the mound, the manager shall be removed from the game and the pitcher required to pitch to the batter until he is retired or gets on base. After the batter is retired, or becomes a baserunner, then this pitcher must be removed from the game."

The umpires did not warn Mattingly against visiting Broxton a second time (it happened so quickly), so his removal or ejection would have been unlikely. Still, league officials confirmed the umpires misapplied—failed to apply—Rule 8.06(b) Comment, which qualifies as a rule misinterpretation and protestable offense. Had Mattingly's Dodgers protested the game, because they lost, the contest would have likely been replayed from the point of protest—top of the ninth, one out, bases loaded and Jonathan Broxton facing Andres Torres. At the conclusion of Torres' time at-bat, Broxton would have been removed from the game.

The kicker: in three previous career at-bats against Broxton, Torres was 0-3. (Video: Must C Controversial)
Similar fun fact: Both games featured the same home plate umpire, Adrian Johnson.

Close Call of the Week: NBA Basketball without a Bench

This edition of Close Call of the Week concerns Wednesday evening's NBA matchup between the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Dressing just eight players for the game, the Lakers lost shooting Guard Nick Young and point guard Jordan Farmar to left injuries, leaving just six eligible players until center Chris Kaman fouled out early in the fourth quarter. With 3:32 remaining in the final period, Lakers center Robert Sacre committed his sixth foul. Had Sacre's sixth foul disqualified him from further participation in the contest, the Lakers would have conceivably been left with just four eligible players with which to finish the game. Instead, NBA Rule 3-I-a came into play.

If a player in the game receives his sixth personal foul and all substitutes have already been disqualified, said player shall remain in the game and shall be charged with a personal and team foul. A technical foul also shall be assessed against his team. All subsequent personal fouls, including offensive fouls, shall be treated similarly. All players who have six or more personal fouls and remain in the game shall be treated similarly.

Accordingly, Sacre was permitted to remain in the contest at the expense of a team technical foul charged to the Lakers. Had Sacre committed any further personal fouls, the Lakers would have been charged with an additional technical foul for each infraction (Sacre did not foul after 3:32). At the time of the invocation of Rule 3-I-a, the Lakers were leading, 111-101. The Lakers ultimately won the contest, 119-108.

It is this rule that enabled Don Otten in 1949 to set an NBA record with eight personal fouls over the course of just one game when his Tri-Cities Blackhawks ran out of subs when he committed his sixth foul.

Test Your Knowledge (Basketball Rules Differences): Had this same scenario occurred at the NCAA college level, the affected team would have lost Sacre's services for the remainder of the contest, as in NCAA Rule 3-1-2: "Each team may continue to play with fewer than five players when all other squad members are not eligible or able to play." If multiple players foul out, the team can continue playing until just one player remains, at which time, "that team shall forfeit unless the referee believes that both teams have an opportunity to win" (3-1-3).

NFHS high school follows the college rule (and clarifies/cleans up the misleading language provided by NCAA Rule 3-1-3: "A team must begin the game with five players, but if it has no substitutes to replace disqualified or injured players, it must continue with fewer than five. When there is only one player participating for a team, the team shall forfeit the game, unless the referee believes that team has an opportunity to win the game" (NFHS Rule 3-1-1 NOTE).

Wrap: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2/5/14

UEFL 2014: Registration & Appeals Board Nomination

Registration is now open for the 2014 Umpire Ejection Fantasy League season.

Quick Links: 2014 UEFL Registration Form / 2014 Appeals Board Nomination Form
After registering, your name will be added to the 2014 UEFL Member Roster (note Last Updated date). Preliminary registrants will appear on the Roster. If you submit registration and do not see your username on the roster by the following day, please register again.

Per UEFL Rule 1, as adopted prior to the 2013 season:

a.     A post announcing the opening of registrations shall appear on the UEFL website no later than two months prior to the start of the regular season. This post shall instruct members on the proper methods of signing up to participate in the UEFL for the upcoming season and will contain all appropriate pre-draft deadlines.
b.     Once the registration period is closed, a draft order shall be pre-assigned (see Rule 1-1-c). Five umpires shall be drafted by each UEFL member in the form of one (1) crew chief per Rule 1-2, two (2) primary umpires per Rule 1-3 and two (2) secondary umpires per Rule 1-4.
c.     The draft will be conducted in two phases: Phase one encompasses the crew/primary round while phase two encompasses the secondary draft. Members have the option of drafting all umpires during the first phase.

For more information about the UEFL draft and selection process, see the 2014 UEFL Rules Book. Note that the draft will occur in March 2014, no umpires will be selected until the draft begins in March.

Any visitor, guest or user may become a league member. There is no cost to register for this league. If you would like to register for the 2014 UEFL season, please complete the 2014 UEFL Registration Form. If you experience technical difficulties, please respond to this post with your requested username. If you participated during the 2013 season, please use the same username or otherwise mention what your username was last season. Do not select umpires during the registration process.

Important Note: To register for the 2014 Umpire Ejection Fantasy League, please indicate your desired username and e-mail address, the combination of which shall serve as user verification. Pursuant to Rules 4-7 and 6-1, users must be logged in to initiate challenges. The UEFL uses DISQUS for this purpose. To register, view any post on the website and scroll to the comments section. Click the "Join the discussion" text box and a variety of sign in options will appear. You can sign in with Facebook, Twitter or Google, or create an account with DISQUS. Your DISQUS sign in (whether Facebook, Twitter, Google or DISQUS itself) must match your UEFL username.

It is recommended that UEFL members be placed on an e-mail list so that we may expeditiously communicate important site-related news, such as UEFL Live Draft order and Prop Boards. If you wish to be included, please indicate this during registration.

Registration, draft and roster deadlines (Note: All deadlines extend to 11:59 PM Pacific on date indicated)
March 3, 2013 (Monday): Preliminary and standard registration processes closed, draft opens.
March 13, 2013 (Thursday): Last day to submit unrestricted Primary umpires.
March 13, 2013 (Thursday): Last day to RSVP for the Live Secondary Draft. Date and time TBD.
March 14, 2013 (Friday): Last day to submit unrestricted Secondary umpires (Live Draftees exempt).
March 15 or 16, 2013 (Sat or Sun): Live Secondary Draft. Date and time TBD.
March 20, 2013 (Thursday): Last day to submit unrestricted Crew Chief selections.
March 21, 2013 (Friday): Last day for roster changes (retirements, pre-season injuries, etc.).
March 22, 2013 (Saturday): Dodgers at Diamondbacks (MLB Australia Opening Series)
Any late submissions will be "restricted," meaning umpire selection will be limited to a list as determined by the Commissioner and based on timely league drafting activity.

Appeals Board: Rule 6-4-a mandates the establishment and maintenance of an Appeals Board to rule on disputed issues, such as Quality of Correctness. Any visitor, guest or user may become an Appeals Board member and may or may not also be a concurrent league member. The Appeals Board operates on a voluntary basis only and is a one-year term (no term limits). To apply, please access this form. If you are interested in nominating yourself for the 1-3 at-large Appeals Board vacancies, please consider the following requirements:
Ability to separate subjectivity from objective analysis;
Extensive rules knowledge or ability to attain exceptional proficiency;
Acceptance of prior and willingness to form UEFL precedent and rule interpretations;
Ability to objectively and thoroughly analyze plays to determine, among others, Quality of Correctness;
Availability to respond to the "Office of the UEFL Commissioner" in a timely fashion;
Board members must abstain from ruling on plays involving drafted umpires (if applicable).
2014 Appeals Board page on the UEFL Portal
Permanent Appeals Board members are: Gil (Commissioner, Chair), Jeremy (Deputy Commissioner).
Appeals Board members re-elected via the 2013 Rules Summit are: tmac, RichMSN, BT_Blue, Turducken.
Vacancy: Seat 7. At the Chair's discretion, Seat 8 and/or Seat 9 may also be filled or left vacant.

Appeals Board nomination and election procedures, deadlines
January 28, 2013 (Tuesday): Appeals Board nominations opened.
March 14, 2013 (Friday): Appeals Board nominations closed and voting begins.
March 21, 2012 (Friday): Appeals Board voting ends.
March 31, 2013 (Sunday): Opening Day, Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks, MLB season begins.

If you have any questions, please post here. As you can see, registration will remain open for over four weeks while Appeals Board nominations will remain open for over six weeks. We hope you enjoy this registration process for the 2014 season. Read on for a "How To" example...

Australian Ball Ejections: Bob Crawford & Trent Thomas

HP Umpire Bob Crawford ejected Melbourne Aces pitcher Trevor Holder, catcher Ryan Casteel & Manager Phil Dale for arguing a safe call ("Time" not granted) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Aces-Blue Sox game (Added: 1B Umpire Trent Thomas ejected Sydney Blue Sox 3B Coach Grahame Cassel for Unsportsmanlike-NEC). With two out and two on, Blue Sox baserunner R3 Trent D'Antonio successfully stole home to give Sydney a 4-3 lead. F1 Holder had bent down to tie his shoe during a live ball but did not appear to request nor was granted time by PU Crawford; with time in, D'Antonio attempted to score and slid in safely at home plate. Replays indicate that after his ejection, Manager Dale returned to the field multiple times before finally leaving the visual confines. The Blue Sox ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

The Aces played the remainder of the game under protest, claiming time was out at the time of the play.

Wrap: Melbourne Aces vs. Sydney Blue Sox (Australian Baseball League, 1/23/13)

NHL Milestone: Referee Brad Watson (1,000 Career Games)

Close Call Sports acknowledges and congratulates NHL referee Brad Watson on his 1,000th NHL game, Tuesday evening's Avalanche-Maple Leafs contest. Watson, whose minor league career took him through the SJHL, WHL, IHL and AHL, breaking into the NHL on March 7, 1996; he was named to full-time staff in 1999. He is the 22nd NHL referee to reach the 1,000-game mark.

Source: Regina's Watson to referee 1,000th NHL game (The Regina Leader-Post)

Canucks-Flames Brawl, Ejections, Dressing Room Battle

Saturday's Canucks-Flames rivalry game turned hockey night into fight night in Canada. Referees Dave Jackson and Kyle Rehman and particularly linesmen Lonnie Cameron and John Grandt had their hands full as 21 penalties were handed out just two-seconds into the affair at Rogers Arena. When the dust finally settled, all 10 players on the ice received fighting majors, the first pair of combatants scored 10-minute misconducts and the remaining eight were ejected for supplemental duels. Summary of the penalties is below:

Fighting Major Penalty - 5 Minutes

Full-scale NHL line brawl kicks off Canadian rivalry game.

CGY - Ladislav Smid (fought Kevin Bieksa)*
CGY - Brian McGrattan (fought Tom Sestito)^
CGY - Blair Jones (fought Dale Weise)*
CGY - Chris Butler (fought Jason Garrison)*
CGY - Kevin Westgarth (fought Kellan Lain)*`
VAN - Kevin Bieksa (fought Ladislav Smid)*
VAN - Tom Sestito (fought Brian McGrattan)^
VAN - Dale Weise (fought Blair Jones)*
VAN - Jason Garrison (fought Chris Butler)*
VAN - Kellan Lain (fought Kevin Westgrath)*

^Also received a Misconduct - 10 Minutes penalty.
*Also received a Game Misconduct - 10 Minutes and Ejection.
`Also received a Roughing minor penalty - 2 minutes.

Video: Line brawl inaugurates the Canucks-Flames game right after referee drops the puck (CBC)

Canucks head coach John Tortorella escalated the situation backstage during the first intermission, crossing over from Vancouver's clubhouse to Calgary's half of the floor.
Video: Tortorella scrums with Flames in front of Calgary's dressing room (CBC)

Wrap: Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks, 1/18/13

UEFL Series: Baseball Rules in the Real World (Fourth Out)

MLB fans suffer from lack of rules knowledge, this is no secret—though so do members of the media, players and even managers/coaches. According to a 2013 rules quiz, out of 10 true-or-false questions, fans averaged a score of 3.7 out of 10, the media 4.4, players 5.5, and managers/coaches 6.6. Leading the pack was Brad Ziegler of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a perfect score (10/10), followed closely by David Ross and John Farrell of the Boston Red Sox with a 9/10 score.

At the bottom of the leaderboard was ESPN's Aaron Boone, who somehow managed a one-of-ten score on the 10 question, two-option (true or false) exam.

The Red Sox are one of a small number of MLB teams that consult a rules expert for such matters, which may very well explain their better-than-average scores. Boone allegedly does not reach out.

The 10-question test posed 10 hypothetical scenarios that, for the most part, were not based on reality and did not previously occur during professional games.

Umpires go through much scenario-based training such that when a rare or odd situation occurs, making the proper call is second nature. For instance, Jim Joyce talked about his obstruction call to end a World Series game for the first time in baseball history as completely instinctual. For the fans, perhaps rules education based on specific situations and scenarios would be more appealing if they were actually rooted in reality. The UEFL presents a new series, Baseball Rules in the Real World, that attempts to do just that. We begin with "Failed Fourth Out," featuring a game-changing play from April 12, 2009.

In an effort to persuade clubs and fans alike towards education, the UEFL presents real world concerning plays and situations that did take place in baseball and, at times, cost teams an out, run or even a win entirely because of a lack of rules knowledge or recognition. This Baseball Rules in the Real World series will encompass Ask the UEFL as historically rules-related plays are presented and analyzed. Feel free to comment with plays you would like to see on real world.

R3 Ethier hustles to score as R2 freezes.

For the rules rookies amongst us (welcome and congratulations for choosing to better yourselves!), Team A refers to the offensive team, Team B the defensive team, PU the plate umpire and U1/U2/U3 the first/second/third base umpire. B1 is the batter and/or batter-runner, R1 is the runner that starts the play on first base, R2 at second base and R3 at third base. F1 is the pitcher, F2 the catcher and so on.

Ethier Scores on Double Play to Tie Game at 1 ("Failed Fourth Out," April 12, 2009 [Video]).
Situation: We begin with "Failed Fourth Out." With one out in the top of the 2nd inning of a 1-0 ballgame, R2 Juan Pierre and R3 Andre Ethier, B1 Randy Wolf hit a line drive to F1 Dan Haren. R2 and R3 were running on contact, so as F1 Haren caught the liner for the inning's second out, both runners were far off their respective bases. F1 Haren threw to F5 Felipe Lopez, who casually strolled to R2 Pierre and nonchalantly applied the tag for the third out of the inning. During the interim, and prior to F5's tag of R2, R3 Ethier, who never broke stride, touched home plate. Lopez kept the ball and returned to the Arizona dugout. After the inning's end, Dodgers bench coach Bob Schaefer and manager Joe Torre met with PU Larry Vanover to discuss the play (the scoreboard erroneously showed a 1-0 Arizona lead). After consultation with U3 Charlie Reliford, the Dodgers were credited with a run, the score adjusted to a tie, 1-1.

Ruling: Correct call. R3's run scores because he touched home plate prior to the third out of the inning, because the third out was not a force out (Rule 4.09[a]).* This is a time play. To negate the run, Team B would have had to appeal R3's failure to tag up prior to Team B leaving the field ("For the purpose of this rule, the defensive team has 'left the field' when the pitcher and all infielders have left fair territory on their way to the bench or clubhouse"):

Appeal plays may require an umpire to recognize an apparent “fourth out.” If the third out is made during a play in which an appeal play is sustained on another runner, the appeal play decision takes precedence in determining the out. If there is more than one appeal during a play that ends a half-inning, the defense may elect to take the out that gives it the advantage. (Rule 7.10)

*Rule 2.00 (Force Play) defines such a play "in which a runner legally loses his right to occupy a base by reason of the batter becoming a runner." OBR goes on to give a very similar example of a play that does not qualify as a force out: "Not a force out. One out. Runner on first and third. Batter flies out. Two out. Runner on third tags up and scores. Runner on first tries to retouch before throw from fielder reaches first baseman, but does not get back in time and is out. Three outs. If, in umpire’s judgment, the runner from third touched home before the ball was held at first base, the run counts." This is what we have here.

The Dodgers went on to win the ballgame, 3-1, which means the failed fourth out may have played a significant role in LA's win.
Umpires: HP: Larry Vanover. 1B: Sam Holbrook. 2B: Dan Iassogna. 3B: Charlie Reliford (crew chief).

Wrap: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 4/12/09