I was told last night that the Jays couldn’t appeal because they left the field. Of course, since I was watching the game and they weren’t, I asked if a team had ever stayed on the field after the umpires called the inning over. What would happen if a team just stayed on the field? I’m sure there is a rule against it.
And people talked about ‘Playing under protest’. But that doesn’t exist anymore:
As of the 2021 season, Rule 7.04 in the Official Baseball Rules was amended to read:
“Protesting a game
shall never be permitted, regardless of whether such complaint is based on judgment decisions by the umpire or an allegation that an umpire misapplied these rules or otherwise rendered a decision in violation of these rules.”
But baseball has to change a rule. If a run can be given 10 minutes after an inning has ended, a team should be allowed to appeal at the same time. It can’t be a one-way street.
Of course, I don’t know that it isn’t that way. I don’t know that the umpires didn’t get that rule wrong. They didn’t call New York again to ask, ‘Can the Jays appeal?’
But I believe that either a run shouldn’t be allowed to be given after the teams leave the field, or an appeal should be allowed after the teams leave the field. It seems like playground justice to me. If one side can do something, the other should be allowed to as well.
I’d suggest a rule that, once the players leave the field, no changes can be made to the scoreboard. I’m pretty convinced that, if the play had been the one where the Blue Jays got a run ten minutes after the inning ended, we would never have gotten that run. The umpires would decide it wasn’t fair that the Red Sox weren’t allowed to appeal the player not tagging up, and let them. Actually, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have gotten that fair. The Umpires wouldn’t have phoned New York to see if they could wake up the one person who understands all the rules of the game.
I was also told, “The Jays should have thrown to third.” Well, maybe, but then players are trying to get the third out, and they will take it any way they can. If there was more going on than them getting the third out, the umpires should have said something before sending the players off the field.
And, people said in the thread that John Schneider should have got himself kicked out. I understand the point, but I’m sure he was just incredulous that this happened and tried to process it all. I can’t imagine trying to figure out what they were saying. And, of course, yelling and screaming wouldn’t change anything and only get him thrown out.
We often say that the great thing about baseball is that you can watch for 50 years and yet each game can show you something you’ve never seen before. Sometimes that isn’t a great thing about baseball.
But the good guys won anyway, which makes it all worthwhile.
