Even Bryce Harper occasionally gets confused by the rules of baseball.
In the top of the 10th inning with the Phillies trailing by two runs against the Giants on Wednesday, Johan Rojas made an incredible diving catch to rob Thairo Estrada of a base hit. Rojas fired the ball to first to get Paul DeJong to end the inning. Two outs were recorded, but it’s not a double play.
An additional run scored on the play to make it 8-5. Wade Meckler, the runner at third, tagged up at third base and crossed home plate before Rojas’ throw made it to first base to get DeJong. The run counted.
When asked for his thoughts on Rojas’ catch, Harper immediatly jumped to his confusion regarding the ruling.
“I don’t understand the rule. I really don’t. I was just trying to talk on the bench about it because I just didn’t know what the difference is between a double play and that double play. I got to get a rule book, because I still don’t know what the difference is. I guess that’s just how it works.
“I’m being serious,” Harper laughed.
There’s a comment underneath the definition of “force play” that applies to this exact scenario on page 150 of the MLB rulebook:
Confusion regarding this play is removed by remembering that frequently the “force” situation is removed during the play. Example: Man on first, one out, ball hit sharply to first baseman who touches the bag and batter-runner is out. The force is removed at that moment and runner advancing to second must be tagged. If there had been a runner on third or second, and either of these runners scored before the tag-out at second, the run counts. Had the first baseman thrown to second and the ball then had been returned to first, the play at second was a force out, making two outs, and the return throw to first ahead of the runner would have made three outs. In that case, no run would score.
Example: Not a force out. One out. Runner on first and third. Batter flies out. Two out. Runner on third tags up and scores. Runner on first tries to retouch before throw from fielder reaches first baseman, but does not get back in time and is out. Three outs. If, in umpire’s judgment, the runner from third touched home before the ball was held at first base, the run counts.
The play was ruled a sacrifice fly and 8-3 on the putout to first base.
But none of this confusion would have been possible without Harper’s incredible game-tying three-run home run off the foul pole in right field in the bottom of the ninth. The Phillies, as Harper said, let one get away. The Giants outfield made two excellent catches on hard-hit balls following Harper’s home run and J.T. Realmuto went down swinging with the winning run on third base.
“Thought we could have definitely swept and that’s a full game in the column right there. I would have rather been another game up instead of a game down,” Harper said.
Must-Read (Or Watch) Phillies Content
- Our own Bailey Digh recaps the disappointing ending to the exciting series against the Giants.
- Here’s the legendary Jon Miller’s call of Harper’s home run on Giants radio. Imagine how spoiled Giants fans are. They have Miller on the radio and Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper on home television broadcasts.
- Matt Gelb of The Athletic wrote about Harper’s hot streak and included a pretty incredible statistic regarding his at-bat in the ninth inning against Camilo Doval.
- Todd Zolecki’s latest newsletter highlights Harper’s astute knowledge of past inside-the-park home runs at Citizens Bank Park.
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