Kosport Magazine’s Take:
In a rare and controversial ending to a game on Thursday night, the Baltimore Orioles narrowly defeated the Chicago White Sox with a final score of 8-6. The game was ultimately decided by a controversial runner interference call, leaving many questions for MLB and its officials. The crew chief has stood by the call, but MLB has since stated that there may have been room for discretion.
With runners on first and second and only one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Orioles outfielder Andrew Benintendi popped up to shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The infield fly rule was called and Henderson made the catch for the second out. However, third-base umpire Junior Valentine then determined that White Sox baserunner Andrew Vaughn hindered Henderson’s ability to make the catch, resulting in a defensive out.
Valentine stated that there is no room for discretion when a baserunner interferes with a fielder, regardless of intent or the final outcome of the play. However, MLB has reached out to the White Sox to inform them that there is in fact discretion in this type of situation.
White Sox GM Chris Getz confirmed that the team has spoken with MLB and that there is room for interpretation in this play. This leaves many questioning the umpires’ decision and the consistency of the rule.
The runner in question, Andrew Vaughn, was ruled out and expressed surprise at the call. He believed that he had not hindered Henderson’s ability to make the catch, and was simply following the play as a runner is expected to do.
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol was quick to voice his disagreement with the call, stating that it was inaccurate and that there needs to be more clarity on the rule in order to avoid similar situations in the future. MLB will likely review the play and make a determination on how to handle similar situations going forward.
It is evident that the call in this game was controversial and has left many fans and officials curious about what could have been done differently. While the crew chief has stated that the call was correct, MLB’s statement brings into question the consistency of the rule and the discretion of the officials in these types of situations. Kosport Magazine will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.
