Rare rule upsets two managers in one week, a breakdown

#mlb #yankees #whitesox #umpire #rules #baseball
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[@WillyGrippo]

A rare blemish on an otherwise stellar White Sox season

[@someoneyoudontknow7705]

😂😂😂

[@daysandwords]

Yeah... But that's why it sucks so much that the call was made. They actually could have won (admittedly it was still unlikely) in an amazing comeback against a good side, but instead we got: "Nah the fielder was slightly inconvenienced, he's out."

[@KH-nm9xg]

I'll have you know we have double digit wins, sir.

[@vitesse_arnhem]

Payback for 1919

[@KingofBrooklynNY]

.250 average 🤣🤣🤣 nearly halfway through June! You a legend for this comment 😂😂

[@pizzle7]

"Umpire with the frowny face" is peak jomboy 😂

[@jestice75]

Umpire looks like the manager in the movie "Waiting"/Anchorman. Bald Jewish guy.

[@pizzle7]

@@jestice75 David Koechner. He also played Todd Packer on The Office.

[@michaelknowlton1231]

Bro saw the comment then saw his face 😂😂😂

[@beeme8397]

We need a frowny face umpire photo in the studio

[@ds2k15]

He looks like a character in a PS1 game 😂.

[@michaelmalmgren431]

Maybe they should change the infield fly rule to once it's been called, it's a dead ball. No runners advance, no catch must happen. Just the batter is called out and the next batter, if applicable, steps up.

[@king_br0k]

5:33 "Be better" "I am" is the perfect response

[@cubsfanman-nx6pg]

I completely missed that but that's hilarious

[@sanderappel4499]

@@cubsfanman-nx6pg all ump should take note of that comeback, because it seems to be Boone's favourite insult

[@nintendubs2265]

That’s a terrible response. Ump said “I am better than that play” meaning it was a mistake

[@Leafsdude]

@@nintendubs2265 Obviously the Ump meant "I'm better than [Boone]"...

[@gavs928]

@@Leafsdude or "I am better than that play [in the Orioles White Sox game]"

[@TheRossMadness]

The Soto scenario looks to match the rule EXACTLY. That man came in with way more hip than I've ever seen when getting a foot on the bag. What an interesting breakdown.

[@cplpuddingpop]

And the ump explained exactly why the call needed to be made to Boone, who responds by being totally childish, which the ump shuts down with a clean one-liner. Rare ump W on this one, honestly.

[@brattman741]

@@cplpuddingpop Honestly is Jimmy just a little mad because he's a Yankee fan? Seems like the exact sort of situation for this rule to be implemented.

[@JesseBingham]

@@brattman741 Jimmy isn’t mad at all in this video? You mean Boone?

[@brattman741]

@@JesseBingham just sounds a little salty, especially at the end with the black and white comment.

[@kevinbrowning5016]

If anything, it appears to me that it's the infielder who is interfering with the runner. Either way, this rule needs some clarification.

[@MindlessWanderings]

The only clean way to fix it is to say once infield fly is called the play ends. No one gets any advantage and only the hitter is out.

[@ChefSalad]

Why not just get rid of the infield fly rule altogether? It'd be a lot more fun if they let it drop and tried going for the multiple play instead.

[@leonkung4270]

@@ChefSaladIf u do that, everyone is going to drop the ball. It's just not fair to runners.

[@coulie27]

I think that's the rule and the whole point of the rule -- DEAD BALL, everything stops

[@atomicgiraffe250]

@@ChefSalad That's stupid. Every popup with 2+ men on will become a free double or triple play.

[@Bantimus]

​@@coulie27not the rule. The batter runner is out once Infield Fly is called, but the play continues as normal.

[@mikes805]

So what DID happen after that? Aaron?

[@LR1507]

I’m still here waiting to know

[@anthonyg8680]

Jomboy’s lipreading is crazy… but I also simultaneously want a Bad Lip Reading song made out of the Aaron Boone part 🤣

[@OceanBagel]

This one WEIRD RULE that MLB managers DON'T want you to know!

[@zacharyhicks6237]

Would the thumbnail have a red circle, a red arrow, or both?

[@emuccino]

@@zacharyhicks6237 both + gaping mouth

[@kenmckell]

This Weird Rule is so beautiful that you should download it immediately!

[@rodneymartin6154]

@@bethanyh1637 whoosh!

[@warzIbanez]

The joke ​@@bethanyh1637 's head

[@spotguy1]

Best fix to this rule is this: 1. If the runner is deemed to be returning directly to their base and makes incidental contact with the fielder, it is a dead ball. Runner cannot advance and must return to their base. 2. If the runner is deemed to make purposeful contact to stop a play on the ball, the runner is out. 3. If the runner is deemed to be making an attempt to advance on the play and makes any contact, incidental or purposeful, the runner is out. And maybe to stop teams from taking advantage of the dead ball on defense, 4. If the fielder makes contact with a runner that is not deemed to be during a legitimate act to play the ball (such as running directly into the baserunner and then changing direction to catch the ball), then it is a dead ball and runners are able to advance 1 base. In all situations, the infield fly would still be in effect and batter is out.

[@jimgroves661]

Here's what I was thinking; whenever an infield fly is called, the batter is out and the ball is dead until a member of the fielding team is standing in the infield with the ball in hand and all base runners are standing on the last base they achieved. That would erase all motivation for anyone to interfere or make it seem like they were interfered with.

[@huddl3buh50]

i think it would be easier to just nix this rule and add something to the infield fly rule that says if a fielder does not catch an infield fly the batter is still out but the ball is dead. Runners can't advance, double plays can't be turned.

[@fast02gt]

How about the runner has a right to the baseline and bag.

[@HutsonKyle]

You could alternatively state that if interference occurs on an infield fly, that the interference call nullifies the infield fly ruling. By the interference being called (according to all other existing rules) the ball is dead, the interfering runner is out, the batter gets first base and any runners forced by the runner going to first get the next base. In the Soto case, he would be out, the batter would get 1st, and the batter on 1st would go to 2nd. Soto would have been out, but there would only be one out on the play and the bases would remain loaded (but not with Soto on 2nd). It would still create a disincentive to interfere (nobody wants to take an out themselves), but still achieve what we all think should happen here. I mean, if you've got Slow Mo on 2nd and he wants to "take one for the team" with a speedy runner behind him, that's his decision.

[@michaelhagmeier5374]

Yeah, in the Yankees/White Sox incident, if the infielder had played the ball correctly, the runner would have had a clear path back to the bag. It is unlikely the infielder would have caught the ball - he was badly out of position to make the catch.

[@kevinkemper9229]

Close Call Sports is absolutely great! Very knowledgeable rules breakdowns!

[@jordanm06111]

Been following Jomboy since the beginning and I still cant get over how spot on his lip reading is. Top notch stuff again

[@Alex11554]

For those who don’t know (I’ve read some of the comments), when the infield fly rule is called, the ball is not dead. The batter is automatically out to remove the force plays at all the bases, whether the ball is caught or not, and runners can advance at their own risk (tagging up is required if the ball is caught by the infielder.) But in order to fix this, the ball SHOULD be dead and no advancement by the runners should be possible. Once the call is made, ball would be dead and the play is over, no matter what happens.

[@cubsfanman-nx6pg]

I think that instead of completely changing the infield fly rule they should just make it a dead ball if there is interference like this (or at least umpire discretion if there is a play)

[@loserhl]

@@cubsfanman-nx6pg The problem is the infield fly rule causes the continuation of play which then requires the use of the interference call. Players still need to catch the ball to prevent runners from advancing. Simple fix is just like OP says, infield fly rule should be dead ball and no advancement by runners and the batter is out. It would remove the need for any umpire discretion on interference calls.

[@twinlamp]

Yeah 100%. Only addition I might add is if the interference is intentional then it's a double play. But just call the ball dead for these situations.

[@vw8886]

No, use contact with a runner as trigger for dead ball.

[@GhostHostMemories]

I just said this in a comment reply above. when IFR is called, just "freeze the play" don't have to catch the ball, but the runners can't advance either.

[@dfscott62]

Nice shout-out to CCS -- I love both channels and it's nice to hear each of you referencing the other in a positive way.

[@kphardiman]

100% - Lindsay is great. Nice shoutout.

[@HipsterDoofus100]

@@kphardimanwhat happened to the dude Gil that used to run that site

[@d3adlyz3bra]

Did boone keep his word or is he an entire child?

[@zachw566]

Appreciate the shoutout of CCS, they do great stuff over there

[@sporer_]

the overlapping convo edits were amazing lol 🤌🏻🤌🏻

[@seakc87]

MLB just needs to rewrite the infield fly rule to freeze all runners when one is called. So if the catch isn't made, they don't have to worry about someone scoring off of it.

[@arztje]

I think that's the most reasonable approach. it simplifies this greatly. Batter is automatically out, ball is dead.

[@jaredfry]

@@arztje does anything else happen ever when the infield fly rule is called? I think not.

[@coulie27]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's the rule and the whole point of the rule - immediate DEAD BALL, infield fly, runners stay put.

[@shawnhenderson2091]

Yeah it seems simple, just make it a dead ball situation, the fielder can try or not try to catch it, just call the rule an out and deal with the ball and let everyone return to their base or positions respectively. Easy.

[@nolansprojects2840]

It doesn’t need to be rewritten. If an infield fly is called, it is because the ball can be caught by an infielder without extraordinary effort. If they don’t catch it, that’s on the fielder. This incentivizes the fielder to catch the ball instead of just letting it drop. If the runners had to freeze in place, there would be no effort by either team. But not having that rule can allow the runners to take a risk.

[@agreen182]

Loving the multi voices. Fantastic

[@danc3488]

Aaron Boone doing his best Billy Martin impression as usual. Seriously, has any manager been ejected more in the last 2 years than him? lol

[@magarthur3420]

This almost happened again in Friday night's Jays-Pirates game (I believe it was in extra innings). Same exact scenario. The announcers and players froze for a second thinking it was going to get called again.

[@jtejk57]

I may hate the Yanks with a passion, but god damn the Boone breakdowns are always the best 😂

[@aarontelander]

100% agree!

[@TeganCantEven]

Love the shoutout to Close Call Sports! 💖

[@simmy916]

“So what” 😂

[@bwalsh1105]

Yeah close call sports really had a great breakdown to the Iowa game too jomboy!

[@Brahmabullz]

That "now what, Aarooon!" exchange is GOATED.

[@tankinator451]

This makes me wonder how many other super specific yet poorly implemented rules are in the rule book just waiting to be found during a one in a million play.

[@ObscuraDeCapra]

Keep an eye out for any oddball prop bets.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

There are rules in there because teams have done some really crazy stuff since baseball started.

[@bigdavexx1]

This is just a slightly specific rule (the infield fly rule) combined with a standard rule. The truly bizarre rules come from trying to 'fix' situations like this that seem unjust, e.g. the 4th out appeal.

[@jr8554]

If the number seven batter on the away team is playing as 1B and grounds into a triple play in the 15th inning of a regular season game in October, the away team has forfeited the game.

[@cubsfanman-nx6pg]

@jr8554 that's a common rule though everyone knows that

[@baseballcards3]

So here’s a fun thing: it doesn’t matter if Soto stands on the base or not. Base is not a safe haven

[@oRealList]

I know Jomboy is a little biased and covers the Yankees A LOT, but is Boone really this much of an asshole? I feel like he gets ejected twice a week while you might see other managers get ejected twice a season.

[@JL1009]

the stupid smile on the umpires face in the first clip omg

[@Briansgate]

Also, Boone, who literally flunked a rules test to hell and back arguing rules. Lmao you can’t make this stuff up

[@ObscuraDeCapra]

Except he didn't argue rules, he argued that the guy was on the bag but ALSO that the umps were JUST FUCKING TOLD BY MLB TO SHOW SOME FUCKING DISCRETION ON INTERFERENCE PLAYS WITH THE FUCKING INFIELD FLY RULE IN EFFECT.

[@Simba65315]

@@ObscuraDeCapra Discretion doesn't mean "never call it".

[@jordanfry5138]

@@ObscuraDeCapra He argued a) something he was wrong about and b) that the mere fact that this rule had been implemented incorrectly before meant it had been abandoned. Neither was convincing for a reason.

[@SeraphsWitness]

@@ObscuraDeCaprabut the guy wasn’t on the bag.

[@craigfoster354]

Lindsay explained it very well by saying the runner in an infield fly situation has an affirmative duty to avoid interfering with the fielder making the catch attempt. This is different from the priorities in a regular fielding play. Like most sports, you must know the rules.

[@diaryrecorded5524]

I wish Jomboywasn’t such a yankee fan though but I still love him

[@gunnerbrody8481]

The breakdown of Boone and the ump was amazing 😂😂😂

[@anon8007]

5:00-5:30 boone got COOKED by that ump lmao

[@nolimitiowa]

Respect to Jomboy for giving CloseCallSports a shout out.

[@colespielman1493]

I like your idea of advantage in this situation. I was thinking something along the lines of "If there is interference on an infield fly, no runners can advance." And maybe have something for if it's flagrant interference the runner is also out so there is a punishment for dirty plays. But then we wrap back around to Umpire discretion so probably not.

[@adriankennedy1759]

Jomboy is a legend

[@alexnelson3656]

Happened on Tuesday’s June 4th 2024 Yankees vs Twins. Miranda at first base was fielder catching infield pop fly. Yankee runner (can’t remember who) bumped him going back to bag. Miranda was able to catch easily. Interference was not called. Crazy it happened so soon and with the Yankees involved.

[@therealking6202]

That is some next-level editing! 🤣🤣🤣

[@bbott137]

For the white sox one, they say they called interference first, then in field fly when he got under it, if that's the case how can you even call infield fly if one of the runners is now gone?

[@blackandblueeagle]

IFF is based on the state of the bases at the time of the pitch

[@nerdpocketcards]

A similar situation happened last night with the twins and Yankees

[@codenamelarry6518]

The Yankees/Angels incident looks like a more practical use of this rule, although Neto didn't give Soto much of a shot to get back to the bag. As for Orioles/White Sox, the interference helped Gunnar Henderson get to the ball if anything, but not an incorrect call according to the rules.

[@maicon_13]

Soto had so much time to get back to the bag. Look at how long the balls in the air and soto just casually walks back instead of hustling back to avoid a double play

[@Dumpstermuffin1]

Now what?? LOL i laugh every time Jomboy lip reads after an ejection

[@ninjabands3887]

One of the best breakdowns yet

[@maytownbrendi]

Yes! Close call sports needs more credit!

[@RyanFreid]

I love Boone's commentary on this. He was 100% right about them looking like assholes, especially after the MLB said umps were wrong on the previous incident.

[@superdvdjvc]

One way to fix this is to change the rule to make an infield fly to also be a dead ball, meaning the batter is out (obviously), and the runners cannot advance in any way, and cannot be put out even if they're off the bag.

[@alexlegge]

I love how the whole intention of the infield fly call is to prevent teams from turning cheap double plays. In both situations, the umpires somehow turned cheap double plays themselves *and* called infield fly on the same play. It’s the baseball version of matter and anti-matter colliding. The White Sox had a much more legitimate gripe for sure though. The key word in the rule seems to be “hinder.” Doesn’t seem like the rule should have applied in that instance, regardless of how stupid it may be.

[@byrdhousemusic5209]

If I remember correctly, even if Soto was on the base and it happened, he’d still be out. I believe it was Mattingly who pointed out the whole in the rules where “the base is not a safe haven”.

[@garyhovey9305]

Omg likely the best voiceover in history! 🥃

[@kazen5907]

Yea, not gonna lie, Sotos move looking kinda dangerous here.

[@tatewalquist7523]

He genuinely would have been better off sliding back into second, though the fielder 100% would have tripped over him. Kind of a no-win scenario, they both needed to occupy the same space.

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

The only issue is the MLB potentially telling the white sox it was the wrong call even though it followed the rule to the T. The MLB never misses an opportunity to screw up a situation even more.

[@austinfletchermusic]

The first call is pretty obviously wrong, but I don't know what the hell you do on the second call in future instances. - Soto deserves to get back to the bag, but the other guy deserves to be able to fairly make the catch.

[@jaycro3284]

Make a new rule so that the play is dead and hitters out when infield fly is called. That way there'd be no reason for someone in sotos position to rush back and get in the way

[@ThePackMan34]

The bullshit thing is that Soto goes around the fielder, who then backs into him. He was in the process of avoiding the fielder, and then the fielder runs into him anyways.

[@finalcountdown3210]

The ending of the video with Boone like "Oh shit, he really can read my lips"

[@anthonyd5189]

why not just make the infield fly rule freeze everyone? Batter is out, everyone remains where they were and onto the next guy. Solves all this stuff.

[@SirLionofBiff]

This coach is a carbon-copy of dozens of coaches I've had the misfortune of running into during my years as an official. Totally have zero capacity to look at the game objectively. See what didn't happen, don't see what what did happen, argue like total dorks and never apologize.

[@zym6687]

Why would a coach ever be objective, that goes directly against their purpose to win the game.

[@pakkmann]

@@zym6687 that's a good point, but in my own coaching career I'd argue that it's nice to have a reputation of being a straight-shooter... that brings positive results to your team as well. Playing the long-game I suppose.

[@svenskhund3603]

"Now what?" "What do you mean, now what? All I hear is if yall dont make that call my runner scores thats a win win"

[@damasorosales6686]

Been waiting for this over a week

[@zacellis2582]

Since in both cases, the infield fly rule is called, a play does not necessarily have to be made since the batter is out and as mentioned in the video the only reason interference should be called is if a runner can score. Otherwise, I think personally, interference should be nullified if infield fly is called with one runner on. If there are two on or bases are full then interference can still be called if contact is made/route is changed. Interference should be situational under the infield fly rule because a play doesn't have to be made

[@blackandblueeagle]

IFF isn’t in play with one runner on base

[@JFon-ck6mg]

Same question as Boone - where is Soto supposed to go? He went behind the fielder when the fielder set up in front of the baseline, then fielder moved backwards after Soto committed to go to the back of the bag. Is Soto supposed to hang around down the baseline until after the ball is caught and then be called out anyway bc fielder will step on the bag?

[@jeffrubalcava1633]

Coach was like how the F do you know I said that 😂

[@andrewclark1945]

That second one is tough because he impeded the catch before he got to the bag, but it definitely wasn't intentional so I see the ump's point. First one is terrible though. And unfortunately I don't think rules can be changed mid season so I think you're right, teams are going to find a way to use this to their advantage.

[@DatManJB]

So basically... The infield fly rule needs to immediately lead to an automatic out on the hitter along with a dead ball so no runners can advance.

[@ilovebrandnewcarpets]

I don’t see anyone else pointing this out so- check out where the fielder was headed, and where he/the ball ended up. His original line (through the base runner) was way off from where the ball actually dropped.

[@geesegoose6174]

The second call was 100% correct. The first call though, was ludicrous at best. The rule should be 'if the out was not made on an IFF,and it was deemed to be due to an opponents intentional or unintentional obstruction, that player and the hitter are out while the bases are frozen.'

[@tyler3876]

I’m on the umps side here, MLB should write a less dumb rule. You can’t get mad at the soldiers for following orders if you’re a bad general

[@sovelissskirata8105]

If you call an infield fly rule, just call it an auto out and a dead ball. It would avoid this whole issue. Because if the ball is caught nobody would be running anyway. It prevents a purposeful drop with the call. And doesn't make running into each other an issue.

[@MissBliss123]

I 100% agree because it should only come into play if they A. intentionally get in the way and B. cause the play not to be made.

[@David-zy1jw]

listen, no rule is perfect, there's always going to be 0.1% exception. And the worst thing to do is give discreption power to umps. Being literal is not perfect, but discreption opens a flood gate of subjective calls that'll make everyone upset.

[@josephmcclary9667]

Quite the cliffhanger at the end Jomboy.

[@mvm3016]

I am 100% confident he got every word right from both Boone and the ump. Amazing lipreading

[@ronr9084]

The way to fix the rule is to say if there is a collission with the fielder(s) catching the ball after the infield fly rule is called, the runners can not advance. This stops anyone from bumping the fielder on purpose and it doesn't penalize the fielding team. To me, this sounds fair.

[@titianarasputin]

If the infield fly rule means the batter is out whether or not the ball is caught, then the interference rule is not useful. As soon as infield fly is called, the fielder should let the ball drop to the ground, then pick it up and continue play.

[@liamf38]

The dumbest part of the Yankees one was the Angels Broadcasting saying that Soto was throwing hip checks.

[@rebels5785]

They absolutely need to change the rulebook on this. If the runner is simply going back to the base and not making any effort to hinder the fielder, it should not be deemed interference. As Jomboy said, just dont allow runners to advance if the incidental contact causes the ball to get away. Simple.

[@kudahman52]

Hands down the best lip reader in sports media

[@leonardokoititakaki1593]

it happened again with Soto on yesterdays game against Twins

[@jeremyesinclair]

*me two weeks ago looking up videos on the in-fly rule* 'damn this complicated as hell, I guess if it works tho'

[@keithyboy2575]

Please can we have a "Now what Aaron??" t-shirt? 😂

[@SLagonia]

The problem I have with The Soto call is that if the fielder played the ball right, it wouldn't be interference. It was only interference because he misplayed the ball and ran right into Soto. Why not just run into a runner on every play? They'd be automatically out every time.

[@jeffstewart724]

I saw the interference right away on both. The responsibility for any runner in the process of any defensive play is to avoid ANY adjustment a defensive player has to make to complete the play. HOWEVER. . . There is an unwritten rule in basic sports officiating that goes something like "Fish for whales - not for minnows." The Chicago situation is a "minnow." No harm done. Talk to the player and a coach in between innings. The California situation is a "whale" which was properly called.

[@thefireofthefox1]

Just make it a dead ball if there's questionable interference like that on a infield fly

[@scottsyt1369]

Nice shout to CloseCallSports!

[@mkr_mac]

Infield fly -> dead ball. Solves all these situations.

[@goofball1_134]

This could easily be resolved if you just say in-field flys are auto outs but also dead balls. Then it doesnt matter at all if caught or not or if soto in this example has to get back to 2nd.

[@ajmoe]

What a plug for talking yanks. Damn

[@tedgey4286]

I messed this exact rule up in a high school game this year and our head trainer ate me alive for it

[@daysandwords]

So this just happened AGAIN, and AGAIN with Soto, against the Twins... the catch was caught but Soto actually did run into him, but somehow that one wasn't out?

[@willjackson6347]

I feel like the rule solution to this could be straightforward and simply put as “if a runner is determined to interfered with fielder on an infield fly, the play is called dead and no runners may advance”. It wouldn’t get any advantage to either team and only the batter would be out.

[@eyelladog8816]

Some people not recognizing the infield fly rule for what it is. You cannot call it dead. An infield fly rule can still be called if the fielder goes deep into the outfield. A backing up second baseman halfway in the outfield towards the line might not be able to throw out a tagging runner going home or especially to third, thus the advance at 'risk'. To call it dead on a short 'infield' fly cuts this possibility. Not all infield fly rule calls are straight pop-ups within the diamond. EDIT: As for the rule, it likely just needs a new subsection involving the infield fly. If infield fly is called, then give some leniency to interference rule, especially since very few times, if ever, would a runner attempt to move to the next base within baserunner range of the diamond. Soto would be more in line with this than the Sox one since the interference mattered whether the runner was on the base or not. To just call it dead on an infield fly is too far.

[@HenryOConnell-rh5mz]

What about the interference by the shortstop impeding the base runner from reaching second?

[@jmwall24]

I still want to know what the runner is supposed to do on an infield fly if the ball is hit right by the bag they have to get back to. They just have to stand there and get doubled off?

[@Algorerhythm]

What if the penalty for interfering with a fielder making a play while returning to a base be a dead ball? That way you still avoid the out when you were not trying to advance to the next base but at the same time prevent other runners from advancing to their next base. But still make runners who interfere while advancing be ruled out.

[@US2A]

Come on soto, run in front next time😂

[@waynetendo1172]

NOW WHAT AARON?? - had me dying

[@jeremykates7276]

I think the umpire discretion should come into play if the umpires feel like the runner couldn’t have avoided contact. If they can’t provide an alternative way for how the runner can get back to the bag for a given situation then they can use their discretion to make the runner safe. IMO the only way Soto could get back to the bag without contact was to wait for the shortstop to catch it first and then he’d be doubled up. He intentionally went behind the fielder because the fielder went in too far. If the fielder stayed back where he should have then Soto would’ve gone in front and avoided contact.

[@beardown6574]

Lol what a wacky sequence. Just when you thought you've seen it all

[@BoringReviews]

I don’t get this rule at all. If it’s infield fly rule then the batter is out anyways. The impeding shouldn’t matter