Tuesday, August 11

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Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.

It’s one of the fundamental truths of baseball — nay, the universe: There are three outs in an inning. 

Except when there are four. Yes, really. There is one way there can be four outs in one inning. And we came oh so close to seeing it in the Red Sox-Blue Jays game last night. 

See, there is a rare “fourth out” scenario in the MLB rulebook — so rare it may have never actually been invoked in a Major League game. 

But the Jays had a chance to do it yesterday. They just missed it. The whole thing was a beautifully bizarre play.

Let us explain … 

What was the situation? 

The Red Sox had runners on first and third with one out in the seventh inning. Ceddanne Rafaela was at the plate. He flew out to center fielder Brett Bateman for the second out. 

The problem was, the scoreboard was showing there were already two outs. So both Red Sox runners took off without tagging up — Nick Sogard from first and Anthony Seigler from third — thinking Rafaela’s fly ball would be the third out of the inning. But it wasn’t. 

So all the Blue Jays had to do was throw to either first base or third base to double off a runner and end the inning. Bateman tossed the ball in from the outfield, and the Jays relayed it over to first to double off Sogard. Three outs. Easy peasy, right? Wrong. 

So what happened next? 

Basically, Toronto picked the wrong runner to double up. By throwing to first base, instead of third base, the Jays actually allowed Seigler’s run to score, because he’d already crossed the plate by the time the third out was made. 

See, doubling off a runner who forgot to tag up is a timing play, NOT a force play. So it’s not automatic that the run doesn’t count, even though it’s an inning-ending double play. 

After a long discussion and “rule check” review, the umpires determined that the Red Sox run did, indeed, count.

But there is a way to make that run come off the board — and that’s the “fourth out” rule. 

OK, how can there be a FOURTH out? 

This is what it boils down to: If the Blue Jays, after they doubled Sogard off first base, had ALSO decided to appeal that Seigler left early from third, the umpires would have called Seigler out, too. 

That would be four outs in the inning: the one out coming into the play, the second out on the flyout, the “third” out on the double-up at first and the “fourth” out on the appeal at third. 

Of course, in reality, there would only be three outs officially recognized in the box score. Technically, the appeal at third base would supersede the original “third out” at first base, because that out would stop the run from scoring. 

The Blue Jays just didn’t realize what was happening, and missed their golden opportunity to bring about the elusive fourth out. They simply jogged off the field after doubling off Sogard, and once they left the field, they lost their chance to appeal. Sad. 

Where is this in the rulebook?

The concept of the “fourth out” comes from MLB rule 5.09(c), which governs appeal plays. The relevant part of the rule reads as follows: 

Appeal plays may require an umpire to recognize an apparent “fourth out.” If the third out is made during a play in which an appeal play is sustained on another runner, the appeal play decision takes precedence in determining the out. If there is more than one appeal during a play that ends a half-inning, the defense may elect to take the out that gives it the advantage. 

There you have it.

Oh, there’s one last fun fact — and it’s the craziest of all!

The Blue Jays’ fourth out play last night came almost exactly 10 years after another fourth out play involving the Blue Jays … in the Minor Leagues. 

On July 30, 2016, the Lansing Lugnuts — then Toronto’s Single-A affiliate — went through the exact same scenario in a game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. 

The manager of that Lansing squad? John Schneider … who was, of course, also the manager on the field for the Jays last night. What a wild bit of déja vu for the Toronto skipper. 

Watch last night’s play here >> 

 

GAMES OF THE NIGHT

Tonight, catch the return of a two-time Cy Young winner and more. 

Red Sox at Blue Jays (7:07 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)

Adley Rutschman is finally set to make his Red Sox debut tonight after the Trade Deadline blockbuster that brought him to Boston. The star catcher will have to face Blue Jays Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease, who has a 2.28 ERA and 184 strikeouts this season.

Mets at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV) 

The Mets are on a little bit of a roll right now, winners of six of their last seven games, including last night’s series opener against their longtime rivals. They could clinch a series win tonight behind Nolan McLean, who has yet to lose to the Braves in three career starts against Atlanta. 

Royals at Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)

Blake Snell makes his long-awaited return to the Dodgers tonight, and L.A.’s super-rotation is starting to round into form. Between Snell and Tarik Skubal, who just made his home debut at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers have put four Cy Young Awards on the mound over the last two days. 

THE BEST PITCHING MASTERCLASSES EVER

Welcome to 250 for 250. As part of our celebration of America 250, we’ve created 25 top 10 lists that capture the plays, people, rituals and moments that make baseball America’s game. 

Today we have the top 10 masterclass pitching performances (not counting perfect games and no-hitters, which we ranked on their own). 

Here’s a taste of what’s on the list:

Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game 

Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout outing as a rookie at Wrigley Field in 1998 is synonymous with pure pitching dominance. In a memorable outing against the Astros, Wood tied the MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning outing.

Pedro dominates the Yankees 

On this September day in 1999, Martínez and the Yankees were both at the height of their powers. In the midst of a dominant run that included three Cy Young Awards in four seasons, Martínez went into Yankee Stadium and struck out 17 against a Bronx Bombers team in the middle of a World Series three-peat from 1998-2000.

Strasburg’s electric MLB debut 

Stephen Strasburg was one of the most heralded prospects in baseball history. Within a year of being drafted No. 1 overall by the Nationals in 2009, Strasburg was living up to the hype in his MLB debut, when he struck out 14 Pirates hitters across seven innings of two-run ball. 

See which game ranks No. 1 here >> 

WATCH MiLB AT FIELD OF DREAMS TONIGHT

MLB at Field of Dreams, presented by John Deere, is still two days away, but Minor League Baseball heads to Dyersville, Iowa, tonight for its own game in the cornfields. 

The Triple-A St. Paul Saints (the Twins’ affiliate) and the Iowa Cubs face off tonight at the “Field of Dreams” site at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on MLB Network and stream on MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+ and the MLB App.

See complete info on MiLB at Field of Dreams here. There are also last-minute tickets still available.

For details on the MLB at Field of Dreams game, go here. The Phillies and Twins play in Dyersville on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game streaming exclusively on Netflix. 

 

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