What about when Bugs Bunny climbed the Statue of Liberty? Huh?
Posted on 07/05/2008 6:29:14 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Here is the scenario of what could be one of the most dramatic and debated plays in major league baseball history...
The New York Yankees are playing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Game 7 of the ACLS and the score is 4-4 in the top of the ninth. The Yankees have runners on first and second with nobody out.
Alex Rodriguez is at bat and Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon delivers a hanging curveball...
Rodriguez connects and launches a missile that is destined for the Yankee bullpen in right field and the Yankee baserunners are pumping their fists and circling the bases, celebrating what is surely now a 7-4 Yankee lead.
But wait!
Right fielder J.D. Drew has a bead on the ball and is running full-tilt towards the bullpen...and at the last possible second, Drew somehow hurdles the five foot bullpen wall in a single bound, snagging the ball in his glove while still in mid-air. He crashes into two Yankee pitchers who were both trying to catch the home run ball and not paying attention to nor expecting the right fielder to come leaping over the fence, sending the both of them to the ground.
Somehow Drew maintains his balance, does NOT fall, and has the composure to throw the ball back over the bullpen fence to the cut-off man. The two Yankee baserunners, finally realizing what is happening, are scuttling back to their bases to tag-up.
The cut-off man throws to the second baseman just in time to get the second out and the second baseman then throws a laser beam to first base just a second or two ahead of the second baserunner who is desperately trying to slide back into first.
Triple Play!
The Fenway Park crowd are going nuts and the Yankee dugout is in shocked silence. But not so fast, the Yankee manager is in the umpire's face, kicking dirt and generally making a big fuss. He is arguing that the play was dead as soon as the right fielder landed in the bullpen and that the baserunners should be restored and there should only be one out.
What do you think? I looked in the Official MLB rulebook and could find nothing addressing this unique situation.
Wow! What, he have springs on his feet?
It's a triple play no doubt about it!
(c) A fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand, or falls across ropes into a crowd when spectators are on the field;
Rule 7.04(c) Comment: If a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should fall into a stand or among spectators or into the dugout or any other out-of-play area while in possession of the ball after making a legal catch, or fall while in the dugout after making a legal catch, the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out, from his last legally touched base at the time the fielder fell into, or in, such out-of-play area.
If it wasn't a legal catch, then it would be a homer, no?
Take your meds and calm down.
PS One out, runners at second and third, Bucky F’n Dent Jr. at the plate.
I actually saw Rule 7.04(c) but that appears to state if the fielder “falls” into an out-of-play area. In my example, the fielder never falls or loses balance. He makes a clean catch and while still on his feet (albeit out-of-bounds) throws the ball back into the field for the triple play.
Must be a Yankee fan!
Definitions of Terms
A CATCH is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it; providing he does not use his cap, protector, pocket or any other part of his uniform in getting possession. It is not a catch, however, if simultaneously or immediately following his contact with the ball, he collides with a player, or with a wall, or if he falls down, and as a result of such collision or falling, drops the ball.
It is not a catch if a fielder touches a fly ball which then hits a member of the offensive team or an umpire and then is caught by another defensive player.
If the fielder has made the catch and drops the ball while in the act of making a throw following the catch, the ball shall be adjudged to have been caught. In establishing the validity of the catch, the fielder shall hold the ball long enough to prove that he has complete control of the ball and that his release of the ball is voluntary and intentional.
Rule 2.00 (Catch) Comment: A catch is legal if the ball is finally held by any fielder, even though juggled, or held by another fielder before it touches the ground. Runners may leave their bases the instant the first fielder touches the ball. A fielder may reach over a fence, railing, rope or other line of demarcation to make a catch. He may jump on top of a railing, or canvas that may be in foul ground. No interference should be allowed when a fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball. He does so at his own risk. If a fielder, attempting a catch at the edge of the dugout, is “held up” and kept from an apparent fall by a player or players of either team and the catch is made, it shall be allowed.
5.10
(f) When a fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand, or falls across ropes into a crowd when spectators are on the field. As pertains to runners, the provisions of 7.04(c) shall prevail.
If a fielder after making a catch steps into a bench, but does not fall, the ball is in play and runners may advance at their own peril.
My WhiteSox just beat the A's.....Horray!
Is Madonna in the stands?
IIRC, at the plate meeting before each game, the umpires go over with the coaches what areas of the field are ‘dead ball’ areas, as it differs from field to field. It would appear that the bullpen area is considered a ‘dead ball’ area, or out of bounds, therefore any action taking place there is moot, because the ball is ‘dead’ once it enters it, unless it is thrown there, in which case bases are awarded.
I’ll double check w/my umpire hubby, he’s back at the hotel and I’m at the laundromat washing his uniforms for his next set of games tomorrow.
The Rule 2.00 CATCH comment would also have a bearing:
... A fielder may reach over a fence, railing, rope or other line of demarcation to make a catch. He may jump on top of a railing, or canvas that may be in foul ground. No interference should be allowed when a fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball.The ump might consider the enumerated locations in which a catch can occur but note that none of these involve exiting the playing field. The Sox manager would have to be a pretty good sea lawyer to argue this one.
Not a plausible scenario, given that J.D. Drew would have pulled a hammy chasing the fly ball and been on the D.L. before the ball even landed. So it couldn’t possibly happen.
J.D Drew is such a Primadonna, you don't need Madonna in the stands
It’s time to wake up.
It’s an out, and the base runners stop at the base they were advancing to. As stated earlier, once the ball leaves the fieled of play; the fielder carries the ball out when he comes down from his leaping catch in this case, it is a dead ball.
Just my 2 cents
Cool. I like it when the Yankees lose that way! ;-)
Rule 6.05(a) Comment: A fielder may reach into, but not step into, a dugout to make a catch, and if he holds the ball, the catch shall be allowed. A fielder, in order to make a catch on a foul ball nearing a dugout or other out-of-play area (such as the stands), must have one or both feet on or over the playing surface (including the lip of the dugout) and neither foot on the ground inside the dugout or in any other out-of-play area. Ball is in play, unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead. Status of runners shall be as described in Rule 7.04(c) Comment.
Admittedly, this particular explanation deals with foul balls, but is listed as a comment to 6.05 (a), which deals with both fair and foul fly balls.
The bullpen at Fenway, being located beyond the fence, is an out of play area. Drew can't legally catch the ball in the situation you describe, unless he makes the catch straddling the five-foot fence, by the rule explanation given for a legal catch.
But the point remains ... if you guys can't beat Tampa there ain't no way you're going to the Series :)
I am a DIE-HARD St.Louis Cardinals fan.
It's a DEFINATELY A GRAND SLAM. Why?
The whole time JD Drew was with St. Louis, he wore the SAME uniform, because it NEVER EVER needed cleaning. Why?
#1. JD NEVER worked up a sweat with it on.
#2. He NEVER got ANY dirt on it.
#3. When you are constantly on the DL sitting on the bench, your uniform stays clean.
...and the MAIN reason it's Grand Slam:
...because by the time JD whipped out his cell phone to call Scott Boros to ask if it was OK to catch the ball, it would have landed in the bullpen.
This is on page 84 of the book. The section is about 5.10 (F). I could swear there's a rule to prohibit the fielders from leaving the field to make a play, but I can't remember where it is and the rules are not very well written.
Here is the question I have always had about that rule.
Let’s say there is a guy on first, and he runs hard, so he is past 2nd base when the ball is caught and carried out of bounds. According to the rule, he can now advance to the next base from his last legally touched base. But the last legally touched base was 2nd, and the base he needs to go to next is first. So shouldn’t he end up back on first?
OK, what if the guy catches the ball, but somehow the runner manages to get to touch 3rd base before the guy falls out of bounds. Now the “next base” is 2nd base, but he still needs to get back to 1st base before he is “safe”. The rule says he only gets to go one more base past his 3rd base (which he has to touch again first). SO is he out because he can’t get all the way back to 1st on his “free base”?
wow. I guess it’s a good thing he turned his nose up at coming to Philly.
Be glad.
BE VERY GLAD!
(PS...I REALLY miss Scotty. Troy stinks.)
Without going back to the rule book, the last legally touched base is determined by the immediately previous play. In your scenario it would be first base. When the new play starts and contact is made, it doesn’t matter how many bases the runner touches until the ball is caught is declared a home run. So for a caught ball, your runner never legally touched second or third or home. Same deal if it was an incredibly high foul ball and a speedster made it all the way to home before it dropped out of play in foul territory. He would have to go back to first. It’s not like he’s given credit for stealing second or third. He’d be back to first even if he started to steal second before the pitch reached the plate.
What about when Bugs Bunny climbed the Statue of Liberty? Huh?
They should stop the game and look up the rule to add more excitement to the dullest game on earth.
I don't go to baseball games all that much anymore but when I did go on a regular basis, I would always get a scorecard and keep score, recording the results of every pitch. On a single sheet of paper, you would have the entire results of every pitch thrown in the game.
I’ve seen many players go into the stands to make a catch, and after they make the catch they throw the ball back in as fast as they can, so I’m not sure that the ball is automatically dead.
Perhaps the rule giving runners one base requires the player (or his team) to point out that he is out of play and that the ball should be dead, similar to a ball getting stuck in the ivy at Wrigley Field (which results in a ground-rule double only if the outfielder indicates that it’s stuck, but in which he has the option of grabbing the ball and throwing it in if he prefers).
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