Larry Vanover Hit by Throw & Erich Bacchus Hit by Ball

Crew Chief Larry Vanover left the Yankees-Guardians game in Cleveland after being hit in the head by a relay throw, resulting in an extra Guardians run scoring, while 2B Umpire Erich Bacchus called "Time" to enforce the umpire interference rule in Toronto after being hit by a batted ball while working in the infield. Jerry Layne, meanwhile, also left a game due to a foul ball injury to his hand.

Larry Vanover (NYY-CLE): With one out and two on (R1, R2) in the top of the 5th inning, Yankees batter Kyle Higashioka hit a fly ball to deep center field, played off the wall by Guardians center fielder Miles Straw, who threw to shortstop Andres Gimenez, whose relay throw to home hit 2B Umpire Vanover in the side of the head, bouncing high in the air and enabling further advancement of Cleveland's runners.

Vanover left the game and was hospitalized with a head injury and was discharged from Cleveland Clinic two days later.

Erich Bacchus (DET-TOR): 2B Umpire Erich Bacchus found himself in the middle of umpire interference Type 2 in Toronto as he was hit by a batted ball from Blue Jays batter Bo Bichette while working inside: "Umpire’s interference occurs (1) when a plate umpire hinders, impedes or prevents a catcher’s throw attempting to prevent a stolen base or retire a runner on a pick-off play; or (2) when a fair ball touches an umpire on fair territory before passing a fielder." (Official Baseball Rule 6.01(f) Comment). IMPORTANT: The pitcher is not considered as "a fielder" for the purpose of this rule unless the pitcher touches the batted ball first. Weird, right?

Jerry Layne (HOU-PIT): HP Umpire Jerry Layne exited the Astros-Pirates game an out after getting hit in the hand by a foul ball. This is not umpire interference since it's a foul ball. After Layne left the game, call-up umpire Brock Ballou put on the gear and filled in as home plate umpire for the remainder of the contest. Similary, the Mike Estabrook play in Toronto is not umpire interference as the ball was foul.

Video as follows:

Guerrero Awarded Home on Obstruction...Interference on Next Play

3B Umpire Erich Bacchus awarded Blue Jays baserunner R2 Vlad Guerrero home, scoring a run, due to obstruction by Tigers 3B Ryan Kreidler on a ground ball past third base. On the very next play, HP Umpire Ryan Wills called umpire interference on himself. Article:

To set the scene, with two on (R1 and R2) and two on in the bottom of the 4th inning of the Detroit-Toronto game, Blue Jays batter Whit Merrifield hit a ground ball into the hole on the infield's left side, where it was fielded in a diving play by Detroit shortstop Javier Baez. With Toronto's runners off with the pitch on the hit-and-run, R2 Guerrero had to hurdle the batted ball to avoid interference, signified by 3B Umpire Bacchus' "safe" mechanic.

But when Guerrero rounded third base, he nearly collided with Tigers third baseman Kreidler, who was stuck watching Baez's diving play and thus inadvertently (but still violative of rule) obstructed Guerrero by impeding his path to home plate by forcing Guerrero to run further outside, thus making his journey home a longer one, both in distance and in travel time.

Bacchus pointed at the obstruction and after the play concluded awarded Guerrero home. Under Obstruction Type 2 (Official Baseball Rule 6.01(h)(2)), Bacchus nullified the act by ruling that had obstruction not occurred, Guerrero would have scored, the penalty for OBS Type 2, which keeps play alive until its natural conclusion before the penalty phase of "nullify the act" is imposed.

Was that the correct call? Had this been Obstruction Type 1, Guerrero would be automatically awarded home and the ball would be dead immediately upon obstruction occurring. In order for OBS 1 to happen, though, there would have to have been a play on Guerrero actively occurring at the time of obstruction.

The very next play produced an umpire interference (OBR 6.01(f)) situation when, with the Blue Jays trying a double steal once again, HP Umpire Ryan Wills accidentally hindered or impeded Tigers catcher Eric Haase's attempted throw to third base. The penalty for ump interference is simply to send the runners back to the bases they came from.

Both managers were out to speak with the umpires in the 4th inning about the respective plays (Tigers manager AJ Hinch spoke with 3B Umpire Bacchus about the obstruction play at third while Blue Jays manager Jon Schneider spoke with HP Umpire Wills about the umpire interference play at home), both calls were concisely explained, and the game resumed without further incident in both cases.

MLB Ejection 011 - Gabe Morales (1; Torey Lovullo)

HP Umpire Gabe Morales ejected Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (ball one call; QOCY) in the top of the 3rd inning of the #Brewers-#Diamondbacks game. With one out and none on, Brewers batter Mike Brosseau took a first-pitch sinker from D-Backs pitcher Drey Jameson for a called first ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located near the outer edge of home plate and below the midpoint (px -0.78, pz 2.99), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 1-0. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 7-3.

This is Gabe Morales (47)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This pitch was located 0.38 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 11th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 3rd manager ejection of 2023.

This is Arizona's 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL West (ARI, LAD, SD 1; COL, SF 0).

This is Torey Lovullo's 1st ejection since Sept 28, 2022 (Alan Porter; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Gabe Morales' 1st ejection since June 4, 2022 (Dave Martinez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks, 4/12/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 010 - Larry Vanover (1; Aaron Boone)

2B Umpire Larry Vanover ejected Yankees manager Aaron Boone (Replay Review decision that overturned 1B Umpire David Rackley's out call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 1st inning of the #Yankees-#Guardians game. With one out and two on (R2, R3), Guardians batter Josh Naylor hit a fly ball to Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, who dove in an attempt to catch the ball, ruled a catch (out) by 1B Umpire Rackley. After umpire consultation which did not change the initial out call and upon Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Guardians manager Terry Francona, Rackley call was overturned, the Replay Official ruling the ball was trapped and that had the proper call been made as the initial call, Guardians baserunner R3 Steven Kwan would have scored and R2 Jose Ramirez would have advanced to third base. Replay indicate Hicks did not catch the baseball and that Francona timely indicated his desire to initiate the review process ("hold"), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Guardians were leading, 1-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Larry Vanover (27)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*Official Baseball Rule 8.02(c) states, in part, "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."

This is the 10th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 2nd manager ejection of 2023.

This is New York's 1st ejection of 2023, 2nd in the AL East (BAL 2; NYY 1; BOS, TB, TOR 0).

This is Aaron Boone's 1st ejection since Sept 23, 2022 (Brian Knight; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Larry Vanover's 1st ejection since May 17, 2022 (QOC = N [Check Swing]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians, 4/12/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 009 - John Libka (1; Nick Castellanos)

HP Umpire John Libka ejected Phillies DH Nick Castellanos (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the #Marlins-#Phillies game. With one out and two on (R1, R3), Castellanos took a 0-2 fastball from Marlins pitcher Devin Smeltzer for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and belt-high (px 0.84, pz 3.47 [sz_top 3.81]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Phillies were leading, 14-3. The Phillies ultimately won the contest, 15-3.

This is John Libka (84)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 0.89 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 9th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 7th player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Castellanos was 3-5 (SO) in the contest.

This is Philadelphia's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st in the NL East (PHI 2; MIA 1; ATL, NYM, WAS 0).

This is Nick Castellanos' 1st ejection since August 15, 2021 (Sean Barber; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is John Libka's 1st ejection since August 24, 2022 (Nolan Arenado; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies, 4/10/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 007-8 - Malachi Moore (1-2; BAL x2)

HP Umpire Malachi Moore ejected Orioles CF Cedric Mullins and manager Brandon Hyde (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the #Athletics-#Orioles game. With one out and none on, Orioles batter Mullins took a 3-2 slider from A's pitcher Zach Jackson for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and at the midpoint (px -0.35, pz 3.43 [sz_top 3.27 / RAD 3.40 / MOE 3.48]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Orioles were leading, 4-1. The Orioles ultimately won the contest, 5-1.

These are Malachi Moore (44)'s 1st and 2nd ejections of 2023.

*This pitch was located 0.60 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

These are the 7th and 8th ejection reports of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 6th player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Mullins was 0-3 (SO) in the contest.

This is the 1st manager ejection of 2023.

This is Baltimore's 1/2nd ejection of 2023, 1st in the AL East (BAL 2; BOS, NYY, TB, TOR 0).

This is Cedric Mullins' first career MLB ejection.

This is Brandon Hyde's 1st ejection since August 7, 2022 (Ron Kulpa; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

This is Malachi Moore's 1st ejection since July 14, 2022 (Bud Black; QOC = N [Out of Base Path]).

Wrap: Oakland Athletics vs Baltimore Orioles, 4/10/23 | Video as follows:

Ejection 006 - Lance Barrett (1; Austin Barnes)

HP Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (ball two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the #Dodgers-#Diamondbacks game. With one out and the bases loaded, Diamondbacks batter Corbin Carroll took a 1-0 slider from Dodgers pitcher Shelby Miller for a called second ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and near the hollow of the knee but within the buffer margin-of-error range (px 0.09, pz 1.41 [sz_bot 1.49 / RAD 1.36 / MOE 1.44]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 11-3. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 11-6.

This is Lance Barrett (16)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 0.36 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 6th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 5th player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Barnes was 0-2 in the contest.

This is Los Angeles' 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL West (LAD, SD 1; ARI, COL, SF 0).

This is Austin Barnes' first career MLB ejection.

This is Lance Barrett's 1st ejection since August 27, 2022 (Ty France; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Dodgers of LA vs Arizona Diamondbacks of Phoenix, 4/9/23 | Video as follows:

Ejection 005 - Mark Carlson (1; Kyle Tucker)

HP Umpire Mark Carlson ejected Astros RF Kyle Tucker (runner's lane interference call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Astros-#Twins game. With none out and the bases loaded, Astros batter Tucker hit a 2-2 fastball from Twins pitcher Jorge Alcala on the ground to second baseman Nick Gordon, who threw to catcher Ryan Jeffers to retire Astros baserunner R3 Alex Bregman at home, and onto first base to attempt to retire Tucker. Astros catcher Jeffers' throw to first baseman Donovan Solano was not caught, but Tucker was called out for runner's lane interference, resulting in a dead ball and baserunners R2 Yordan Alvarez and R1 Jose Abreu returned to second and first base, respectively. Replays indicate Tucker failed to run within the runner's lane pursuant to rule, and in doing so interfered with the fielder taking the throw at first base (Solano), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Astros were leading, 4-1. The Astros ultimately won the contest, 5-1.

This is Mark Carlson (6)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*Official Baseball Rule 5.09(a)(11) concerning runner's lane interference states: "A batter is out when, in running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, they run outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line, and in the umpire's judgment in doing so interfere with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead."

This is the 5th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 4th player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Tucker was 0-3 (SO) in the contest.

This is Houston's 1st ejection of 2023, 1st in the AL West (HOU 1; LAA, OAK, SEA, TEX 0).

This is Kyle Tucker's first career MLB ejection.

This is Mark Carlson's 1st ejection since April 8, 2022 (Gary Disarcina; QOC = U [Fighting]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs Minnesota Twins, 4/9/23 | Video as follows:

Ejection 004 - Jeff Nelson (1; Jazz Chisholm)

HP Umpire Jeff Nelson ejected Marlins CF Jazz Chisholm (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Marlins-#Mets game. With none out and none on, Marlins batter Chisholm took a 3-2 fastball from Mets pitcher Stephen Nogosek for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and above the hollow of the knee (px -0.81, pz 1.84 [sz_bot 1.71]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Marlins were leading, 6-2. The Marlins ultimately won the contest, 7-2.

This is Jeff Nelson (45)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 1.03 horizontal inches from being considered an incorrect call.

This is the 4th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 3rd player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Chisholm was 1-4 (SO) in the contest.

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

This is Jazz Chisholm's 1st ejection since June 18, 2022 (Adam Beck; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Jeff Nelson's 1st ejection since Sept 10, 2022 (David Bell; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Miami Marlins vs New York Mets, 4/9/23 | Video as follows:

Odor Misses Home, Kim Scores, Odor Out on Appeal for Trying to Return to Touch a Missed Base

Padres baserunner Rougned Odor's 4th inning run against Atlanta was wiped off the board after a successful Braves appeal that Odor failed to touch home plate. HP Umpire Chad Fairchild declared Odor out even though replays show Odor returning to touch home plate. Why is that and how does Odor's teammate Ha-Seong Kim factor in?

With two on (R2, R3) and one out, Padres batter Trent Grisham hit a ground ball to Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who threw to catcher Travis d'Arnaud as Padres baserunner R3 Odor attempted to score from third base. Olson's throw evaded d'Arnaud's catcher's mitt and bounced to the backstop as Odor scampered past home plate and trailing baserunner R2 Kim jogged into score an apparent second run, after which R1 Odor, who had missed touching home plate his first time by, returned to touch the missed base.

After the play, however, Braves manager Brian Snitker spoke with HP Umpire Chad Fairchild and when the ball was put back into play, Braves pitcher Charlie Morton stepped off the rubber and threw to catcher d'Arnaud, who stepped on home plate and, after discussion, Umpire Fairchild ruled Odor out for failing to touch home plate.

Even though replays clearly indicate that Odor did return to touch home plate, he did so illegally.

Official Baseball Rule 5.09(c)(2) regarding appeal plays explains why Odor was out: "Any runner shall be called out on appeal when, 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, are tagged" while OBR 5.09(c)(2)'s Approved Ruling contains the answer key for this particular play: "No runner may return to touch a missed base after a following runner has scored."

Thus, Odor was called out because he returned to touch the missed base after following runner Kim had already scored, which is not allowed. This might sound akin to runners passing, but these two rules are distinct and different. For one, the Odor missed base play is an appeal play: Odor is not out unless the defense properly appeals (live ball appeals only in professional ball, etc.) while if this was a runners passing situation, Odor would have been declared out immediately upon the infraction (e.g., not an appeal play).

Video as follows: