Anthony Seigler crossed home plate from third base on a sacrifice fly on Monday night despite never tagging up on an inning-ending sequence, creating widespread bewilderment in Toronto.
The unusual score represented Boston’s only run during a 2-1 defeat to the Blue Jays, occurring amid a chaotic double play that led to a 17-minute delay while officials worked through the rules.
“We kind of got a break there,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said.
Although there was only one out when Ceddanne Rafaela hit a flyball to center field during the seventh inning, the scoreboard displayed two outs. Seigler advanced toward home plate and Nick Sogard ran from first base while the ball remained in the air.
After the catch was made, the Blue Jays threw the ball to first base to double up Sogard for the third out. Believing they maintained a 2-0 advantage, Toronto’s players headed toward the dugout.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider noted that everyone presumed the inning had ended when plate umpire Charlie Ramos “waved off the run,” explaining that amid the confusion he never received a chance to appeal Seigler’s early departure from third base.
Umpires subsequently convened to analyze the unusual occurrence. Separate discussions took place with both managers before the crew checked in with MLB’s replay center for clarification on what crew chief Chris Guccione described as a timing play rather than a force play.
Ultimately, since Seigler reached home before Sogard was retired at first base, and because Toronto did not appeal the third-base runner’s premature exit, the Red Sox were awarded the run.
“We felt like it was our obligation to correct the error for not scoring the run originally,” Guccione said.
“The rule is the rule. … So if the run scores from third, no matter what he did tagging up, or not, before the out is recorded at first, the run counts,” Schneider said. “Now, if we had just thrown the ball to third instead of first, obviously different story.”
Guccione later explained to a pool reporter that Toronto needed to make an appeal at third base before stepping off the field to prevent the run from counting.
“After consulting with MLB, they told me that all of my players were across the third base line before Charlie waved off the run, which I 100% disagree with,” Schneider said. “I don’t know if Vlad is that fast after he got the ball at first.”
Several Blue Jays also seemed to assume the catch by center fielder Brett Batemen marked the final out. Relief pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson and catcher Brandon Valenzuela both turned away to head to the dugout before second baseman Josh Smith even caught the ball from Bateman to throw it to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
“It was a weird, very weird situation, where the players on both sides seemed to be confused on the outs,” Tracy said.
“Going forward, when that play happens again in the next 100 years, if it’s us, we will record the lead out at third,” Schneider said. “That’s the best I got.”
