Overturned outs are prompting confusion, frustration over MLB’s blocking-the-plate rule

STEPHEN HAWKINS, Associated Press

40 minutes ago

Blake Sabol of the San Francisco Giants (bottom) reacts after scoring against San Diego Padres catcher Gary Sanchez (top) in the fifth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Sabol was initially called out but ruled safe after the Giants contested the call. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

As former big league catchers, Bob Melvin and Bruce Bochy certainly had their fair share, and the current managers were playing at a time when big clashes with runners looking to score were simply part of the game.

The rules have changed over the years to protect catchers, but runners are now sometimes safe and collision-free even after being substituted. That’s what happened to Melvin’s San Diego Padres and Bochy’s Texas Rangers this week.

San Francisco’s Blake Sabol was originally drafted in the fifth inning on Wednesday night against the Padres. The call was changed after a long re-examination and Sabol was declared safe when catcher Gary Sánchez was reported for blocking the plate. Melvin called it “one of the worst calls I’ve seen this year.”

Bochy took Melvin a step further, calling a similar play in Rangers’ 6-7 loss to the Chicago White Sox the previous night “absolutely one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen, and it was executed by repetition.”

Like Sánchez, Texas catcher Jonah Heim stood as he made a sweep change. Elvis Andrus was called out first, which would have ended the eighth inning with a game still tied, but the White Sox challenged the day and Heim blocked the plate.

Why is there a rule in MLB that prevents catchers from blocking the plate?

To prevent injuries that may result from collisions between baserunners and catchers. In 2014, MLB introduced a rule designed to prevent avoidable collisions on home plate.

Rule 6.01(i) is officially listed as Collisions at Home Plate, but is also referred to informally by many as the Buster-Posey Rule.

This rule not only prohibits catchers from blocking the plate without possessing the ball or just catching the ball, but also states that runners must not deviate from their direct path to the plate to make contact with the catcher or cause an avoidable collision cause .

Posey suffered a fractured fibula and torn ankle ligaments after the Marlins’ Scott Cousins ​​went shoulder-down in 2011 and hit the San Francisco catcher to score. That was a season after Posey was NL Rookie of the Year while the Giants won the World Series.

Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila was injured in game five of the 2013 American League Championship Series after colliding with Boston’s David Ross. Avila returned two days later to play Game 6.

Bone-shattering collisions at the slab were common earlier in the game. Among the most famous was Pete Rose, who smashed through Ray Fosse to hit the winning run at the end of the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star Game, a play that left Fosse with a fractured shoulder.

Why was there a sudden spike in violations?

MLB sent out a memo to teams late last season about how the rule was enforced after several controversial plays at the plate.

Minnesota coach Rocco Baldelli was furious after umpires blocked Sánchez, then with the Twins, in what looked like an out in the 10th inning of a game against Toronto last season.

Enforcement of the rule was also discussed in spring training ahead of this season.

In both cases, the runners were called out by the on-field referees this week before the replay officials ruled otherwise.

Bochy said MLB officials told him about his catcher’s lineup, among other things. Heim had one foot on the side of the plate, but had the ball in his mitt before Andrus slid headfirst onto the open other half of the plate.

MLB said Heim’s “initial positioning was illegal and his subsequent actions while not in possession of the ball obstructed and impeded the runner’s path to home plate.”

WHY ARE TEAMS SO CONFUSED ABOUT THE ‘BLOCKING THE PLATE’ RULE?

The rule encourages runners to slide home, which is now fairly common. At the same time, catchers sometimes move to alter the runner’s expected path to the plate.

Catchers can legally stand in fair territory in front of the plate without possessing the ball. However, they may be called for an infringement if they do not have the ball and line up in foul territory, straddle the foul line or home plate, or have one foot on the plate or foul line.

There are also exceptions to the position of catchers when they need to move to make an incoming shot or when they are moving on a rapidly developing play such as a tie. B. a wild pitch or a hard-hit ball to a drawn throw, cannot get stuck in front of the plate. in the infielder. These exceptions, however, are decisions of the referee or retry officers.

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