BOSTON — It took an extra-inning curler coaster for the Crimson Sox to safe their first sequence win for the reason that MLB All-Star break, and that Wednesday night time thriller even featured one peculiar play name involving Tyler O’Neill.
Within the backside of the seventh inning, O’Neill stood at first base throughout an infield pop-up off the bat of teammate Rafael Devers. O’Neill started retreating to first base, blocked off a bit by Mariners first baseman Justin Turner, which resulted in a minor collision that finally favored Seattle. O’Neill was referred to as out by first base umpire Andy Fletcher, ending the inning and stranding a base runner in scoring place for Boston. This warranted a multi-minute-long dialogue between Fletcher and Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora, who too, wasn’t in the slightest degree thrilled with the (very) debatable name — arguing the choice whereas holding a fired-up O’Neill again from probably being ejected.
“There was a pop-up there, and I simply went for my secondary (lead) and took one step again and I had Turner underneath my elbow form of physique me round a little bit bit,” O’Neill defined after Boston’s 3-2 walk-off win over Seattle. “I used to be a little bit stunned with the ruling. I’m not too certain what occurred there, actually. I don’t know what else I can do. I took a step again towards the bag. I wasn’t making an effort to get in anyone’s method. I didn’t suppose there was anybody gonna be in the way in which to start with so it positively felt like there was some intent there. That’s powerful luck, however it wasn’t even Turner’s ball, he didn’t find yourself catching it so I don’t know. Andy Fletcher, the umpire, says it’s a brand new rule from MLB so I’m not too certain how that works. MLB’s in a position to flip the change on us and change some guidelines, and I imply, it’s as much as us to maintain updated on these.”
O’Neill’s sturdy response actually appears warranted contemplating the reason Boston was given. Turner wasn’t camped beneath the infield flyout — as a substitute Seattle’s Jorge Polanco fielded the ball cleanly — begging the query: Who did O’Neill intervene with? The 29-year-old adopted his base path to keep away from the (evidently inevitable) inning-ending double play that ensued. Particularly within the midst of a 2-2 tie with Boston preventing to realize much-needed floor in a tight American League playoff race, there’s no motive for O’Neill to threat the umpires concluding a ruling as such.
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“To begin with, JT didn’t catch the ball. The ball was at second base,” Cora mentioned. “We’ll see. I’ll in all probability clarify it on Friday as a result of I need the league to check out the play and the way it developed, and we’ll go from there. I used to be speaking to Andy, ‘In order for you Tyler to keep away from the fielder, how will we accomplish that?’ As a result of he’s going again to the bag. … If he goes to grass and so they drop the ball, he’s gonna be out. If he goes to second and so they drop the ball, he’s gonna be out. It’s laborious to turn out to be invisible.”
In the long run, this didn’t backfire on the Crimson Sox. Paradoxically sufficient, Devers delivered the walk-off double within the backside of the tenth inning whereas O’Neill stood at second base — as Boston’s automated runner — and plated dwelling the game-ending run to get the Crimson Sox again into the win column; ending the homestand on a excessive notice.
