Appeal Play Shocker
THIS FEATURE WILL APPEAR EVERY MONDAY…
In this imaginary scenario, it’s the Red Sox and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium and the game is tied 7-7 and the Sox are batting in the top of the 9th inning. With two out, Pedroia works the count full and then hits a line drive over the outstretched arm of Cano for a single.
Gomes pinch hits and smacks one into the gap in Right-Center and Gardiner is racing to cut it off to hold Gomes to a single and maybe get Pedroia at the plate.
Running hard Gomes rounds first and slides into second. Gomes knows that he missed the bag at first when he tried to cut the inside corner, but is glad that Pedroia has already scored.
The Yankee manager comes out to the mound and he and the catcher try to explain to their Korean reliever that they will make an appeal; they tell him that he needs to get on the rubber and toss the ball to First base.
He nods in agreement.
Gomes knows what’s coming and knows he definitely missed the bag.
Once the pitcher toes the rubber and goes into his stretch. Gomes shocks everyone and breaks for Third base. The pitcher spins and throws to the Yankee Third baseman, who puts the tag on Gomes for the third out.
Noticing that the Pedroia run is still on the scoreboard, the Yankee manager trots out to the plate to ask the plate ump to correct the error and remove the run from the board.
The umpire refuses to take the run away from the Sox.
The N.Y. manager argues that the run scored on a play that made the third out.
RULING:
The Yankee pitcher should have completed his appeal by throwing the ball to First base and Gomes would have been called out at First. Instead, he made a play on Gomes at Third and the appeal play was not completed.
Gomes is out, but not on an appeal play at First; he is tagged out at Third, trying to steal with 2 out.
The run counts; the third out was not made on a force play, or an appeal play.
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