The Result Has A Second Meaning
The Toronto Blue Jays slipped past the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 in Sunday's series finale, but the game turned on a call that will linger in Baltimore's memory for some time.
With one out and runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth, Brandon Valenzuela chopped a 1-1 breaking ball from Shane Baz to shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The Orioles were leading 4-1 when Henderson tried to turn a double play, tagging Ernie Clement as he slid into second. Clement veered wide to avoid the tag. Second base umpire Nic Lentz did not call him out.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
The non-call proved costly. Jesús Sánchez scored on the play, and three two-out RBI hits shortly after gave Toronto a lead it would not surrender.
Under MLB Rule 5.09(b), a runner is out when he runs more than three feet away from his base path to avoid being tagged. The base path is established the instant a tag attempt occurs—a straight line from the runner to the base he is trying to reach. What Clement did at that instant became the defining question.
"I'm not gonna go chase him to right field when I'm trying to turn a double play there," Henderson said afterward. The logic was sound: when the double play broke down, getting one out was the sensible fallback.
The Part Worth Keeping
Baz, the losing pitcher, kept his thoughts brief. "The only reason that I'm not gonna talk about that play is because I will get fined," he said.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider took a diplomatic view. "Ernie… I haven't looked at it yet, maybe fortunate there. I think that the runner has three feet and Ernie's good at disguising that sometimes, I guess."
The loss dropped Baltimore to 31-35, just 1½ games out of playoff position. Toronto improved to 32-34, a half-game ahead for the third and final American League wild-card spot.
For the Orioles, the timing stings. Jackson Holliday, representing the tying run, was called out in the ninth for deviating from the base path—the same rule that decided the earlier play.