uncertainty

Question: If the runner from second base passes the runner from third base en route to home plate and the umpires do not see it transpire, is the runner out?

Answer: Not necessarily. At least not if the all umpires are busy watching a fly ball in the outfield and miss the call on the fly ball. In this particular case, after the umpires receive a verbal lashing from the manager of the ball club, and then meet and determine the right call, the baserunners are put back where they would have been had the correct call been made.

Editorial: This missed call followed by a reversal ultimately worked in the favor of the Atlanta National League Baseball Club. Had the umpire made the correct call initially, two runs may have scored considering that the bases were loaded with players from the New York National League Baseball Club.

What puzzles me is why Angel Pagan of the New York Metropolitans, who was the runner on second base, took off running on a ball hit in the air with less than two outs. The reason he passed Ryan Church, who was the runner on third base, was that Church went a third of the way to home and looked back to see the umpire's call. Church was running the bases like a professional baseball player aware of the game and inning situation. Pagan seemed to make a bush league base running error. Had a center fielder with just a little more range than Mark Kotsay, e.g. Andruw Jones, made the catch cleanly, Pagan would have been out and the Mets little rally would have been no more. Now, if the umpire had made the right call initially and Pagan run the bases like a professional, Church would have scored the second run of the play and Pagan ended up on third base with less than two outs.

6U

Today, while watching Atlanta Braves baseball on TBS, I saw an unassisted triple play. This was the thirteenth unassisted triple play in the history of Major League Baseball. A very special moment to witness even on television. Unfortunately, it was the starting third baseman for the Bravos who put a ball in play that led to three outs, thus ending the inning.

Kudos to the short-stop for the Colorado National League baseball club for a heads up play. A dumbfounded look to the manager of the Atlanta National League baseball club for putting on the "hit and run" with men on first and second, no outs, and a 3-2 count to a former National League Most Valuable Player who does not strike out much.