Cleveland – It’s one of those plays that you don’t think too much about when it happens. But then it’s like a slow burn and afterwards, especially after a one-run loss like the Tigers’ endured against the Guardians Friday night, you realize it was big, potentially pivotal.
It happened at the end of the Tigers’ four-run fourth inning. They’d taken advantage some Cleveland misplays and turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead. And they still had runners at second and third with two outs and had knocked starter Zach Plesac out of the game.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona brought in reliever Enyel De Los Santos to face Victor Reyes. Reyes hit a foul ball near the Guardians’ dugout. Catcher Austin Hedges hustled over and made a nice catch, nearly impaling himself on the padded corner of the railing.
Initially it was ruled no catch because Hedges’ had a foot on the top step of the dugout. A fielder can reach over the railing, but he cannot have any part of him actually in the dugout when the catch is made.
Francona argued the call and after a brief conference, the umpires overturned it. That bought manager AJ Hinch out of the Tigers’ dugout to discuss it with crew chief Angel Hernandez and home plate umpire Jim Wolf.
“It’s not a reviewable play,” Hinch said. “The initial call was that he went into the dugout. Then they got together and came to the conclusion he didn’t go in the dugout. In the meantime, they showed the replay and he did go into the dugout.”
Clearly, Hedges’ right foot was on the top step of the dugout when he made the catch. The decision of the umpires, ultimately, was that Hedges caught the ball and stepped into the dugout at the same time.
“It’s a judgment call, so it’s not reviewable and it’s on the infield part,” Hinch said. “But in the spirit of trying to get it right, I don’t know why it’s not a reviewable play when we are talking about ground rules.”
Who knows what might’ve happened had Reyes gotten another swing? Hinch and the Tigers, though, would’ve liked a chance to find out. As it turned out, an extra run or two would’ve been large.
“It would have been nice to get another swing there, for sure,” Hinch said. “I saw it on the board when I went on the field. I told them what the review was. I told them what our people said. I tried to get it right. But I wasn’t going to convince them otherwise.”
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