When you need a '4TH OUT'......

[Ralph Damren]

If anyone was watching the Red Sox/Blue Jay game the other night, you would have been treated to a very unusual play.....

SCENE: Sox had runners at 1st & 3rd, with ONE out. In error, the scoreboard had TWO outs  . The players on both teams believed the scoreboard  ......

ACT I:  Fly ball to CF, runners thinking 2 outs were off and running.

ACT II:  Catch made as runner crosses home & runner @1st is rounding 2nd.

ACT III: Blue Jays a leaving the field as someone finally realizes    THERE'S ONLY  2 outs 

ACT IV: Blue Jays quickly ron over and touch 1st, appealing for 3rd out.

ACT V: Umps confer for 15 minutes and then announce: "THE 3RD OUT WAS A 'TIME PLAY' AND THE RUN HAD SCORED PRIOR AND THE RUN COUNTS  "

EPILOGUE: The Jays could have then gone over and appealed the runner at 3rd leaving early. This would have created a '4th out' and could then decide which out you wanted to end the inning...of course the R at 3rd. No run would then score. In MLB a team loses it's right to appeal once all the infielders have left the field...the Sox still lost 

[dammitbobby]

I did see that, was certainly unusual. 

Even if they did appeal it, I don't know that they would have granted the 4th out, as the solution was equitable IMO - defense gets the 3rd out, while the batting team gets a run. I think both teams were happy to have not gotten what could have been a raw deal for one team or the other.

[Ralph Damren]

I did see that, was certainly unusual. 

Even if they did appeal it, I don't know that they would have granted the 4th out, as the solution was equitable IMO - defense gets the 3rd out, while the batting team gets a run. I think both teams were happy to have not gotten what could have been a raw deal for one team or the other.

Yo,Bobby, I haven't worked American Legion bassball for a couple of years, but they use MLB rules, As I recall, the wording was such : "If more than one appeal is made and honored, the appealing team can choose which appeal they want to apply the 3rd out. Once all the infielders have left the infield, any subsequent appeal will not be honored" ...or something there such . Ump mechanics dictate never to suggest or hint where/how to appeal.

[bama_stripes]

Jomboy has a very good video explaining all of the possibilities of this play.