Rays vs Red Sox Oct 11

[slakattack]

I have never seen that in over 50 years of watching BB. You mean to tell me, that as long "as the ball hasn't been fielded cleanly", you could swat the ball back over the fence with the back of your glove to stop play on the field? I know that's not what happened, but what's the difference?  The outfielder's "interference" with a live ball cost the Rays a run. More BS cheating for the Red Sux as far I'm concerned...and you just KNEW they would get the third out and then walk it off in the bottom half.  

 

[Number5]

Seems to me that, since the ball hit the wall first and had definitely been kept in play, the rule pertaining to a player throwing the ball out of play is more appropriate than the rule involving a batted ball deflecting off a player and going out of play.  All runners advance two bases from the last base attained at the time the ball left the fielder's body.  If the runners had not yet reached first and second, then they would be placed as they were in the game, but if they had reached at least first and second, the run would score, and the batter/runner would be placed on third.  Once it hit the wall and stayed in play, the ground rule double rules are taken out of the play, as far as I'm concerned.

[scOtt]

16 hours ago, slakattack said:

I have never seen that in over 50 years of watching BB. You mean to tell me, that as long "as the ball hasn't been fielded cleanly", you could swat the ball back over the fence with the back of your glove to stop play on the field? I know that's not what happened, but what's the difference?  The outfielder's "interference" with a live ball cost the Rays a run. More BS cheating for the Red Sux as far I'm concerned...and you just KNEW they would get the third out and then walk it off in the bottom half.  

 

BAM! That is exactly what I was thinking.

[Number5]

To take it a step farther, if a ball caroms off the wall and is caught in the air, is it an out?  Of course not.  Because once it hit the wall it was no longer considered to be off the bat.  I just really think MLB is misinterpreting its own rule.  In fact, Jose Canseco's infamous play where the ball bounced off his head and over the fence was ruled a home run, not a ground rule double.  I remember Pat Kelly had a ball pop out of his glove and over the fence.  Again, a home run, not a ground rule double.  I just don't think the rule they are citing is meant for "over the outfield fence" plays at all.  I think it is intended for batted balls that carom off a fielder and goes into the dugout or into the stands along the foul lines.  Applying the logic of all other rules of baseball, the runners in the play in question should have been awarded two bases from the last base attained at the time that the ball left the outfielder's body.