Roling my eyes...

[mrkelley23]

Yes, the misspelling is intentional.

Watching the Cardinals' game against Kansas City. Cards have bases loaded, nobody out, rookie Randy Arosarena at the plate. He strikes a ball sharply to the left side. It hits the runner trying to go from second to third (Yadi Molina). The umpires rule that everybody's safe, and the run scores.

All of a sudden it's pandemonium in both the TV and radio booth (I happened to be passing from my car, where I was listening to the radio, to the house, where the TV was on). "Yadi should be out, right? Did the ball hit the fielder's glove? I don't understand?" I'm kind of glad I wasn't listening to the Kansas City feed, although they may have known the rules well enough to get it right.

I can't quote the rule word for word, but it happens often enough that umpires have a signal for when the infield is drawn in in front of the runners. Basically, what it says is, if the ball strikes a runner AFTER passing a fielder other than the pitcher or catcher, it's not an out. It's still a dead ball, but the batter is awarded a hit, and all runners advance one base.

For several minutes after the play, the announcers were polling the people on their team, including Jim Edmonds, a former player, and someone else who was a former major leaguer, and they all said they'd never seen such a play. It just reinforces for me how often players, coaches, and managers don't actually know the rules they're playing by. Hell, even Yadier Molina, who is one of the headiest players I've ever seen, started trotting off the field like he was out, until the dugout yelled at him to stay put.

[CB Bucknor]

See! Even when we get it right, nobody's happy!

So might as well be wrong and start an #UMPSHOW!!!!

[mellytu74]

Wow - all my years of watching/covering baseball and I definitely do not recall anything like that.

[mrkelley23]

Wow - all my years of watching/covering baseball and I definitely do not recall anything like that.

I guess maybe it doesn't happen as often at the minor/major league level. It certainly does at the youth/high school level.

[Bob78164]

Wow - all my years of watching/covering baseball and I definitely do not recall anything like that.

I knew that was the rule, but I don't think I've ever seen it in action. --Bob

[Estonut]

Roling my eyes...
Yes, the misspelling is intentional.

I get everything but this reference.

[littlebeast13]

Wow - all my years of watching/covering baseball and I definitely do not recall anything like that.

I knew that was the rule, but I don't think I've ever seen it in action. --Bob

I've read enough baseball rules quizzes (Especially the ones they used to have in Baseball Digest) to know about that the runner's safe if they're hit behind the infielders, but I'll concur with Bob and melly that I can't ever recall seeing this actually happen in an MLB game. Probably because with a drawn in infield, the shortstop is usually positioned in front of where the runner on second would be, and the first baseman in front of where the runner on first would be... and it's just so unlikely for an untouched ball to hit a runner in that situation.

lb13

[Bob78164]

Wow - all my years of watching/covering baseball and I definitely do not recall anything like that.

I knew that was the rule, but I don't think I've ever seen it in action. --Bob

I've read enough baseball rules quizzes (Especially the ones they used to have in Baseball Digest) to know about that the runner's safe if they're hit behind the infielders, but I'll concur with Bob and melly that I can't ever recall seeing this actually happen in an MLB game. Probably because with a drawn in infield, the shortstop is usually positioned in front of where the runner on second would be, and the first baseman in front of where the runner on first would be... and it's just so unlikely for an untouched ball to hit a runner in that situation.

lb13

I've now seen the film. I'm not sure the ball actually was untouched. If an infielder had touched it, would the ball have remained live? --Bob

[Vandal]

Roling my eyes...
Yes, the misspelling is intentional.

I get everything but this reference.

It's the equivalent of "taping my watch" in Bored lingo.