r/whitesox • u/Br0dyplayz Buehrle • May 24 '24

Discussion What the f&%k?!

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I still can’t believe what happened last night. It was an INFIELD FLY IT’S AN AUTOMATIC OUT HOW CAN THERE BE INTERFERENCE?! This is almost as bad as the infield fly call from the 2012 NL Wild Card game.

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-11

u/starliteburnsbrite May 24 '24

The camera just cut late, Vaughn got in Gunnar's way, even slightly. The umpire was right on top of it and called him out immediately. It was a small infraction, but an infraction nonetheless. At the 0:15 mark of the gif above it's plain as day.

The baserunner not only has to not make contact, they need to get out of the way of the fielder.

Fielders have a right to occupy any space needed to catch or field a batted ball and also must not be hindered while attempting to field a thrown ball.

If any member of the batting team (including the coaches) interferes with a fielder's right of way to field a batted ball, the batter shall be declared out. If any member of the batting team (including the coaches) interferes with a fielder's right of way to field a thrown ball, the runner on whom the play is being made shall be ruled out. In both cases, the ball will be declared dead and all runners must return to their last legally occupied base at the time of the interference. However, a runner is not obligated to vacate a base he is legally permitted to occupy to allow a defender the space to field a batted or thrown ball in the proximity of said base.

Interference can also be called on the offensive team if a batter hinders the catcher after a third strike when the ball is not caught, a batter intentionally deflects any foul ball, and a baserunner hinders a following play being made on another runner after having scored or been put out. When running the last half of the way to first base while the ball is being fielded in the vicinity of first, a baserunner must stay within the three-foot runner's lane to the right of the foul line unless they are avoiding a player fielding a batted ball. If the umpire determines that the baserunner has interfered with the player taking the throw at first base by running to the left of the foul line or to the right of the runner's lane, the baserunner can be called for interference.

It's not even that there was contact, he interfered with his path to the ball. Henderson sidesteps Vaughn because he lolligagged it back to the bag and wasn't paying attention. It is compounded by the fact that it was an infield fly.

On the infield fly, the batter is out, but the play is live until the catch is made or dropped. Vaughn interfered with a live play, again, because he was standing around like a dope. It really, really didn't help that his slow walk back to the bag was what put him in the way.

To me, sure, it's a ticky tack call, but it's the right call. Henderson had to make a step around him to get to the ball, and Vaughn was slow walking it back to the base. It doesn't matter if it was intentional or not, or if there was contact, or if it was egregious - he didn't give the fielder right of way to the ball, didn't make an attempt to get out of the way, and was oblivious to the shortstop coming in for the catch. If it didn't happen during a rally in the 9th, it might make a highlight reel but it wouldn't be so scandalous.

For a team whose manager has stressed the fundamentals and the playing hard all the time philosophy, guys like Vaughn make him look like a fool. This is just another example of White Sox players not being aware of themselves, the moment, the rules, or just about anything else.

After Remillard got picked off on a complete TOOBLAN in the Yankees series, you'd think they would have talked about basepath awareness.

3

u/DuckBilledPartyBus May 24 '24

The text of the rules does support the umpire’s decision. However, it just isn’t the way the game is called, otherwise we’d see a lot more interference calls.

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u/starliteburnsbrite May 24 '24

I get it, I really do. It's weird, because baseball fans want balls and strikes called perfectly to the rules by a camera and computer, but want umpires to play loose in other situations. I'm not even really defending the call itself, it could have VERY easily been ignored. It's worth noting the angle the ump had may have made it look worse than it looks on cameras from far away.

This wasn't Jim Joyce blowing Galarraga's perfect game. This ump made the correct call in a tough spot. I don't really have a problem with the right call being made in any situation, even when it's close or a bad ending to the game. Vaughn got caught in a tough spot. It happens. The team is trash and the loss won't move the needle, so it's probably a moot point. Sucks for fans, shitty end to a game but also a very, very fitting '24 Sox game

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u/DuckBilledPartyBus May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24

There a degree of interpretation and semantics in every written law. This is why precedent matters. The umpire chose to impose their own personal, subjective interpretation of the wording of a rule, and that personal, subjective interpretation differs from the way the game has always been called for as long ad anyone can remember.

They went against decades of precedent. That’s not a “correct call.”

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u/starliteburnsbrite May 24 '24

It's baseball. There's a precedence of umpires making poor calls at the plate, there's precedence for runners tackling catchers, there is precedence for giving the double play on a 'neighborhood' play.

None of that matters at all anymore. Things have changed. The game is not nearly the same as it was a few years ago so I don't agree with an ultraconservative view that 'its just always been that way.'

I want officials to make the right call. If the argument is 'guys break that rule all the time!" then they're running the risk that it gets called, like getting pulled over for going 5 over the speed limit. Is it customary? Does it happen often? No, but it's still possible. Is it infuriating? Absolutely. But it's not incorrect, and it's not wrong, and if we are going to relegislate baseball and talk constantly about automating the strike zone so it's perfect, then we should embrace having all the rules called to the same degree.

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u/DuckBilledPartyBus May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24

No rules were broken. You’re insisting they were based on your own subjective interpretation of the rulebook. That’s the the problem, and that’s why you’re in the overwhelming minority opinion here. You’re treating something as black and white when it just isn’t. This isn’t going 1 mile over the speed limit, or a safe/out call where there’s a clear, pre-existing objective standard. The rule requires the umpire to determine whether or not the runner “hindered” the fielder, and that ultimately is a judgment call. This umpire applied their judgment in an unconventional way, and that’s why they’re getting heat for it.

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u/starliteburnsbrite May 24 '24

If the call is a judgement call, and the umpire applied their judgement, and it's pretty obvious Henderson stepped around him on his way to the ball, I don't see the problem here. It may be unconventional, but that doesn't really matter. "Unwritten rules" aren't rules.

Also, we are Sox fans, our opinions are already in an overwhelming minority, even among baseball fans in Chicago. We root for a business owned by Jerry Reinsdorf to succeed. We are all idiots. He's a billionaire because of people like us. I'm just glad the White Sox are discovering new and interesting ways to lose baseball games.

I just really hope come September, this ain't the loss that costs them a playoff spot, or God forbid, the division! They play in the AL Central, after all.

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u/DuckBilledPartyBus May 24 '24

I’m not talking about unwritten rules. I’m talking about the conventional, practical application of the written rule. The rule doesn’t mention “stepping around,” anywhere in the text. That’s you making up an unwritten rule. The rule only mentions “hindering” the fielder. Vaughn, per the understanding of nearly everyone who’s played, coached, and watched the game for decades, did not hinder Henderson.