Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable went for a challenge in a strange situation in Game 1 of the American League wild card series against the Houston Astros.
After Chicago's Sam Antonacci grounded out to Jose Altuve in the fourth inning, Venable argued the Astros second baseman violated the shift rules, which require infielders to be on the dirt when the pitch is delivered. The video shown on the broadcast made it hard to tell if Altuve's cleat was touching the grass. The call stood.
The rules, part of the 2023 package that also brought the pitch clock and bigger bases, require two infielders on each side of second base, with all four on the infield dirt when the pitch is delivered. Teams can't slide a fielder onto the outfield grass for a better
angle.
This was very odd 🤨
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 29, 2026
The Chicago White Sox challenged whether Jose Altuve's heel was on the outfield grass before the pitch, which would make him ineligible to field the ball.
After review, the call stands.
Thoughts? 🤔pic.twitter.com/xCNbwTQolo
Players adjusted fast. There were 26 violations in the rule's first season, two in 2024 and one in 2025.The penalty got tougher along the way. It started as an automatic ball. Since 2025, if the violating fielder makes the first play on the ball, the batter gets first base, runners advance and the fielder is charged with an error.
That lone 2025 violation came on a challenge. Last Sept. 18, Seattle's Dan Wilson asked for a review after Royals second baseman Michael Massey threw out Dominic Canzone. Replay showed Massey hadn't been fully on the dirt, Canzone was awarded first, and J.P. Crawford followed with an RBI double in a 2-0 Mariners win.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White Sox make bizarre challenge in MLB playoff game vs Astros: What happened?
