tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post1175104765466731330..comments2024-03-28T07:19:18.670-07:00Comments on the joy of sox: G102: Red Sox 3, Yankees 2 (10)allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-36122274736310604822012-07-29T21:29:24.119-07:002012-07-29T21:29:24.119-07:00Nevermind about my comment. I guess the Papelbon ...Nevermind about my comment. I guess the Papelbon thing only happened because there were already two strikes in the at bat, whereas Middlebrooks had one strike at the time of the hit-by-pitch non-offer-called-an-offer.Maxwell Horsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11954012317296896642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-89780524224487277762012-07-29T21:13:58.300-07:002012-07-29T21:13:58.300-07:00I'm watching the part where Middlebrooks was h...I'm watching the part where Middlebrooks was hit by the pitch again. It was cool to see the Sox players in the dugout genuinely fired up and adamant about how wrong the call was.<br /><br />But aside from that, I don't understand the final call. It was so obvious that Middlebrooks was hit that when he wasn't awarded first, the announcers just assumed that the umpires saw he was hit, but couldn't tell if he was offering or pulling the bat back. So they gave him strike 2 instead.<br /><br />But I thought the rule was that if one gets hit by a pitch while offering, that meant an automatic out. (I think Papelbon once squirmed out of a jam on this technicality, although that was a swinging hit-by-pitch instead of a non-existent bunt attempt.) So the fact that Middlebrooks was neither called out nor awarded first seemed to indicate that none of the umps actually saw him get hit. Meaning the most blatantly obvious aspect of that play (that he got hit, not that he was pulling the bat back) was something they all got wrong.<br /><br />It's either that, or I'm unclear on the rule about what happens when a batter gets hit while offering.Maxwell Horsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11954012317296896642noreply@blogger.com