MLB Ejection 075 - Jim Wolf (1; Christian Arroyo)

HP Umpire Jim Wolf ejected Red Sox 2B Christian Arroyo (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the #RedSox-#Royals game. With one out and none on, Arroyo took a 1-2 fastball from Royals pitcher Greg Holland for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and at the waist (px -0.75, pz 3.02 [sz_top 3.41]), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Royals were leading, 5-3. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Jim Wolf (28)'s 1st ejection of 2021.

Jim Wolf now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 5).

Crew Chief Sam Holbrook now has 4 points in Crew Division (3 Previous + 1 QOCY = 4).

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 1.97 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 75th ejection of 2021.

This is the 26th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Arroyo was 1-5 (3 SO) in the contest.

This is Boston's 3rd ejection of 2021, 2nd in the AL East (NYY 5; BOS 3; BAL 2; TOR 1; TB 0).

This is Christian Arroyo's first career MLB ejection.

This is Jim Wolf's 1st ejection since June 23, 2017 (Rick Renteria; QOC = Y [Fair/Foul]).

Wrap: Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals, 6/18/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Issues New Foreign Substance Guidelines

Major League Baseball released enhanced enforcement protocols for Official Baseball Rule 3.01 and 6.02(c) regarding foreign substances and intentionally altering the ball, instructing umpires to apply stricter scrutiny regarding the rules. The changes take effect Monday, June 21.

OBR 3.01 states, "No player shall intentionally discolor or damage the ball by rubbing it with soil, rosin, paraffin, licorice, sand-paper, emery-paper or other foreign substance" while 6.02(c) regarding pitcher prohibitions states that a pitcher shall not "rub the ball on his glove, person or clothing," "apply a foreign substance of any kind to the ball," "deface the ball in any manner," or "have on their person or in their possession any foreign substance."

The prescribed penalty for a 3.01 illegal ball violation is ejection and automatic 10-game suspension.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement and MLBUA President Bill Miller supporting the decision: "“The integrity of the competition is of utmost importance to us. We have worked diligently with MLB to develop an enforcement system that will treat all players and clubs equally.”

MLB's enhanced guidelines are as follows:

MLB Ejection 074 - Nestor Ceja (1; Brandon Hyde)

1B Umpire Nestor Ceja ejected Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (check swing hit-by-pitch call) in the bottom of the 1st inning of the #Orioles-#Indians game. With none out and one on (R1), Indians batter Amed Rosario attempted to check his swing on a 3-2 fastball from Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer, ruled a foul ball and no swing by HP Umpire Jim Wolf, affirmed as no swing by 1B Umpire Ceja, and overturned to a hit-by-pitch upon Replay Review as the result of a Manager's Challenge by Indians manager Terry Francona. Play was reviewed and adjudicated by the UEFL Appeals Board (9-0), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Indians ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Nestor Ceja (103)'s 1st ejection of 2021.

Nestor Ceja now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 6).

Crew Chief Sam Holbrook now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 QOCY = 3).

Related Ejection: MLB Ejection 002 - Jeremie Rehak (1; Brandon Hyde) [Swing vs HBP] (4/8/21).

*Related Post for Brandon Hyde: MLB Debut of Umpire Nestor Ceja (8/14/20).

This is the 74th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 39th manager ejection of 2021.

This is Baltimore's 2nd ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the AL East (NYY; BAL, BOS 2; TOR 1; TB 0).

This is Brandon Hyde's 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 8 (Jeremie Rehak; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

This is Nestor Ceja's 1st ejection since August 22, 2020 (Martin Maldonado; QOC = U [Warnings]).

Wrap: Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Indians, 6/14/21 | Video as follows:

Ask UEFL - Altuve Awarded Base Touch on Reversed HR

When Replay Review reversed Astros batter Jose Altuve's foul ball down the left field line in Minnesota to a home run, Crew Chief Dan Iassogna informed Houston that their runner would not need to run and touch all the bases to complete the HR, leading to a question as to why umpires instructed Michael Morse to re-run the bases during his 2012 grand slam following review.

The answer to this question is slightly less complex than one might think: When Morse hit his home run in 2012, originally ruled a single, umpire Jeff Nelson reviewed the call under MLB's original limited replay framework: three umpires left the playing field to watch a television in the bowels of Busch Stadium before rendering a verdict. Upon overturning the call, umpires were careful to make sure bases were appropriately touched.

By contrast, in 2021, plays are reviewed via the expanded Replay Review process, complete with a slew of Replay Review Regulations originally released in 2014. Though various parts of the regulations have changed over the years—and generally not in a public way—the 2014 iteration provides a huge clue in its section on base running challenges in Section V.F, which allows umpires to award a runner with a base touch (e.g., of home plate on a play at the plate if originally called out) if the umpires deem that the runner would otherwise have been safe had the correct call been made as the original call.

Related Post: MLB Releases Replay Review Regulations for 2014 Season (3/31/14).

We also covered this in 2018 when Replay Review changed a foul ball to a fair ball call in Los Angeles. Baserunner Alex Verdugo was permitted to cut across the diamond from first to third base without needing to touch second. As we wrote at the time, "When a runner is awarded a base via replay, the Replay Official's placement of the runner carries with it a legal touch of any intermediary bases (in this case, second), such that Verdugo is assumed to have legally touched second base en route to third, because the Replay Official determined that he would have achieved third base had the original ruling been proper."

Related Post: Replay Rewind - Hollywood Magic at Dodger Stadium (9/5/18).

Section IV, correcting an incorrect call, agrees, which mirrors Official Baseball Rule 8.02(c): "If the umpires consult after a play and change a call that had been made, then they have the authority to take all steps that they may deem necessary, in their discretion, to eliminate the results and consequences of the earlier call that they are reversing, including placing runners where they think those runners would have been after the play, had the ultimate call been made as the initial call, disregarding interference or obstruction that may have occurred on the play; failures of runners to tag up based upon the initial call on the field; runners passing other runners or missing bases; etc., all in the discretion of the umpires."

Video as follows:

In re: Shohei Ohtani's Two Balks in Arizona

In the 5th inning of Friday's #Angels-#Diamondbacks game, 3B Umpire Dan Merzel alongside home plate umpire Greg Gibson's crew motioned to both benches that Los Angeles of Anaheim's pitcher Shohei Ohtani had committed a balk. We review this call as well as a similar balk several pitches later, relative to Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a), which governs balks.

With Eduardo Escobar batting in the bottom of the 5th and two Dbacks on base (R1, R2), Ohtani balked, with umpires ruling that a subtle flinch prior to a feign to second base constituted an illegal act. The relevant rule is OBR 6.02(a)(1), which states, "If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when—The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such delivery."

Replays indicate Ohtani moved slightly toward home plate—by perhaps a millimeter and a half—before reversing course and stepping off toward second base. This technically correct start-stop balk call set the tone for several future calls in this game.

Several pitches later, with runners at second and third, Ohtani balked an Arizona run in after he was called for violation of related balk rule OBR 6.02(a)(13): "The pitcher delivers the pitch from Set Position without coming to a stop."

Bearing in mind the idealized officiating value of consistency in play-calling, we fast forward to the top of the 10th inning of this game tied at five, in which, with Angels runner Jared Walsh at second base, umpires called Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Buchter for a start-stop balk similar to Ohtani's OBR 6.02(a)(1) call that kicked off the festivities in Arizona's 5th inning. Walsh later scored Anaheim Los Angeles's go-ahead run on an RBI groundout, and the Angels ultimately won the contest, 6-5, in 10 innings.

Key takeaway: If it's a balk in the 5th inning, it best be a balk in the 10th inning of a tied game as well.

Video as follows:

Last Time By Touch Failure Costs Texas on Base Appeal

When 3B Umpire Nic Lentz declared Rangers runner Adolis Garcia out at third on Los Angeles' base touch appeal, he invoked Official Baseball Rule 5.09(c)(2) and the 'last time by' principle for base running to give the Dodgers its second successful base touch appeal in less than a week. Unlike Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh, however, this nullified run did not matter as Texas ultimately won the contest, 12-1.

With one out and Garcia on second base, Rangers batter Joey Gallo hit a 0-1 slider from Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer into the outfield. Perhaps thinking right fielder Zach McKinstry had caught the ball (it bounced), Garcia first touched third base before retreating toward second without retouching third, and finally running home to score, also without touching third base. The Dodgers appealed and 3B Umpire Lentz ruled Garcia out for a violation of OBR 5.09(c)(2): "With the ball in play, while advancing or returning to a base, they fail to touch each base in order before they, or a missed base, is tagged."

To understand why Garcia's baserunning was illegal requires an understanding of two points: passing a base and the last time by principle.

Passing a Base: As we've discussed several times, pursuant to the MLB Umpire Manual, "A runner is considered to have passed a base if they both feet on the ground beyond the back edge of the base or beyond the edge of the base in the direction to which he is advancing." The accompanying annotation of Garcia near third base indicates that after initially passing third base (and touching it), Garcia retreated back toward second and un-passed (backward/retreated) third base, meaning he was now positioned prior to third. Following this action, Garcia again passed (forward/advanced) third base en route to home plate, only this time, without touching third base.

Last Time By: Having established that Garcia passed third base, retreated to a position prior to third base, and then passed third base again, we turn to the "last time by" principle. The MLBUM states the following regarding a runner who touches a base in advancing, but misses retouching the base on the runner's way back to a prior base, only to again touch the base in advancing once again: "If the runner retouches first and then second in advancing to the awarded base, the runner’s failure to touch second base in returning to first is “corrected” under the theory that touching the base the “last time by” corrects any previous error."

In other words, this is what happened: Garcia touched and ran past third base. After passing third base, Garcia retreated back toward second base and in doing so un-passed third base without retouching it. After establishing his position prior to third base (on the second base side of the bag), Garcia again passed third base, only this time, he failed to touch the base.

Under "last time by," Garcia was properly declared out on appeal for failing to touch third base on his last time by the base, which supersedes the touching action that occurred prior to that last time by act. Had Garcia touched third base on his way to home plate (his last time by), he would have effectively nullified his illegal failure to touch the base on his brief retreat toward second base and rendered the Dodgers' appeal meritless, for a runner's base touch legality depends on what such a runner does on their last time by.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 073 - Marvin Hudson (1; David Bell)

HP Umpire Marvin Hudson ejected Reds manager David Bell (strike three [no foul ball] call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Rockies-#Reds game. With two out and none on, Reds batter Jesse Winker attempted to strike a 0-2 slider from Rockies pitcher German Marquez, ruled a swinging third strike by HP Umpire Hudson. Replays indicate Winker swung at and missed the pitch; the bat did not make contact with the ball, the strike three swinging / no foul ball call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Reds were leading, 4-3. The Reds ultimately won the contest, 10-3.

The Cincinnati broadcasters referenced a play from the top of the 4th inning in which Wade Miley's initial 0-1 pitch to Rockies batter Elias Diaz was waved off by Hudson. Cincinnati's complaint was that Diaz called time and Hudson granted the request after Miley had started his windup delivery. Official Baseball Rule 5.04(b)(2) states umpires shall not call "Time" after a pitcher has started windup or come to set position.

However, replays additionally indicate Miley began his pitching motion before batter Diaz—who began the sequence outside of the batter's box (for a legal reason after strike one)—was reasonably set in the batter's box, which itself is a violation of OBR 6.02(a)(5): "A quick pitch is an illegal pitch. Umpires will judge a quick pitch as one delivered before the batter is reasonably set in the batter's box. With runners on base, the penalty is a balk; with no runners on base, it is a ball. The quick pitch is dangerous and should not be permitted."

So while "Time" should not be called after a pitcher has started windup, a pitcher shall not start such delivery before the batter is reasonably set in the box. Chicken or egg?

This is Marvin Hudson (51)'s 1st ejection of 2021.

Marvin Hudson now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 5).

Crew Chief Marvin Hudson now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Prev + 1 Correct Call = 3).

This is the 73rd ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 38th manager ejection of 2021.

This is Cincinnati's 4th ejection of 2021, 2nd in the NL Central (MIL 6; CIN 4; CHC, PIT 3; STL 2).

This is David Bell's 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 25 (Joe West; QOC = U [Warnings]).

This is Marvin Hudson's 1st ejection since September 5, 2017 (Josh Donaldson; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds, 6/12/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 072 - Sean Barber (Dusty Baker) & Infield Fly

HP Umpire Sean Barber ejected Astros manager Dusty Baker (fair ball call; QOCY) an inning after 2B Umpire John Tumpane ruled Red Sox batter Rafael Devers out on the infield fly rule during Thursday's #Astros-#RedSox game. In the bottom of the 6th inning, with one out and two on (R1, R2), Red Sox batter Devers hit a fly ball to Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, resulting in an infield fly declaration by 2B Umpire Tumpane that put Devers out before Correa dropped the ball. As we've discussed many, many times, umpires consider several criteria regarding an infield fly.*

1) First and second base were occupied with less than two outs (one out, R1, R2).

2) The batter hit a fair fly ball which was not a line drive nor a bunt.

3) It could be caught by infielder Correa with ordinary effort. This was established as Correa positioned himself in the outfield facing the infield, or, colloquially, was "camped."

As for the ejection, in the top of the 7th inning, with one out and one on (R1), Astros batter Yuli Gurriel hit a 1-2 sinker from Red Sox pitcher Adam Ottavino in front of home plate, ruled fair by HP Umpire Barber upon the baseball being initially touched in fair territory by Red Sox catcher Christian Vasquez, and resulting in a double play as Astros baserunner Yordan Alvarez was tagged out while off his base by Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo. Replays indicate Gurriel's batted ball was retrieved by Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez in fair territory and that the batted ball did not touch Gurriel's person, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Red Sox were leading, 12-8. The Red Sox ultimately won the contest, 12-8.

This is Sean Barber (29)'s 2nd ejection of 2021.

Sean Barber now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).

Crew Chief Brian Gorman now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Prev + 1 Correct Call = 3).

*"An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out...On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder-not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines."

This is the 72nd ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 37th manager ejection of 2021.

This is Houston's 1st ejection of 2021, T-4th in the AL West (OAK 3; LAA, TEX 2; HOU, SEA 1).

This is Dusty Baker's 1st ejection since August 9, 2020 (Nick Mahrley; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Sean Barber's 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 26 (Bob Melvin; QOC = N [Replay Review]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox, 6/10/21 | Video as follows:

Umpire Bacchus Accidentally Hits Player - Clearing the Bat

When HP Umpire Erich Bacchus went to clear a dropped bat at home plate during Wednesday's Blue Jays-White Sox game, he accidentally tossed the bat into Chicago on-deck batter Jose Abreu's knee, resulting in a brief injury delay. So, how should an umpire clear a bat to avoid such an unfortunate situation?

While there is no imperative in the Official Baseball Rules to remove a bat from home plate in anticipation of a play at the plate, it is often good form for an umpire to do so in order to lessen the likelihood of injury to catcher or runner, and in order to ensure the discarded bat doesn't interfere with the play at home.

During a play at the plate during a Marlins-Mets game, for example, Ichiro Suzuki attempted to slide head-first into home plate, but his arm, instead of reaching home plate, ended up striking a bat lying next to home plate instead.

While some umpires may be able to remove a bat by picking it up and setting it behind them, others may opt to kick it out of the way. Whatever the method, all it takes it a light touch to clear the area immediately surrounding home plate that may be used for the upcoming play.

For example, we revisit the case of HP Umpire Angel Hernandez picking up a bat, taking a step or two backward, and gently dropping the bat behind him during Game 2 of the 2012 Yankees-Orioles ALDS when Ichiro Suzuki danced around home plate to score for New York. A year later, HP Umpire Dale Scott kicked a bat out of the way during the Boston-Detroit ALCS right before a play at the plate would have otherwise resulted in the catcher landing on the bat, had it not been removed.

When to Remove a Bat (Decision Making Factors)

In short, if the bat is in the way and it's necessary to remove it, consider how accessible the bat it. If it's available, consider if it'd be possible to remove the bat (e.g., it wouldn't take the umpire out of position or interfere with an impending play).

If there's time for a NAP (Necessary, Available, Possible), the bat may be safely removed.

Video as follows:

Schoch Balk? Legality of NCAA Pitcher's Pickoff Move

When college pitcher Stephen Schoch picked off a runner during Virginia's NCAA Regional game against Old Dominion, we were asked if the pick-off was legal or a balk. Using all three rulesets, including professional baseball's OBR and high school's NFHS, we determine the legality of Schoch's high leg kick in an attempt to retire a runner between second and third base.

To answer the legal vs balk question regarding Schoch's move, we consider both the primary purpose of the balk rule (illegal deception of the runner) and, if so, precisely how Schoch's deception was illegal.

NCAA Rule 9-3-a states, simply, it is a balk when, with runners, the pitcher while on the pitcher's plate commits "any feinting motion without completing the throw toward the batter or toward first or third base." OBR 6.02(a)(1)'s language is, "makes any motion naturally associated with their pitch and fails to make such delivery" while NFHS 6-2-4d states, "failing to pitch to the batter in a continuous motion immediately after any movement of any part of the body such as they habitually use in their delivery."

In reviewing Schoch's natural or habitual pitching motion, it would appear this pickoff did not violate the completing-the-pitch balk rule: Schoch's raising of the leg alone is not a balk.

Next, we turn toward the part of the balk rule that concerns a pitcher's free foot crossing over or passing behind the perpendicular plane of the back edge of the pitcher's plate, which ordinarily commits the pitcher to delivering the ball to the batter and prohibits the pitcher from disengaging or stepping off the rubber without making such a delivery.

However, all three rulesets again agree: a pitcher may swing the leg and free foot behind the back edge of the rubber "when feinting or throwing to second base in an attempt to put out a runner."

Because a runner occupied second base at the start of this play, Schoch was within his right as a pitcher in contact with the rubber to fake a throw to second before stepping off and throwing to third base, meaning this play and this pickoff move, with a runner on second base, was legal, in a reminder that just because something may look weird or unusual doesn't mean it is a violation of the rules.

Video as follows: