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I was watching the Braves/Reds game yesterday when an interesting scoring decision came up. Pop up to short cf. Upton settles under it. At the last minute, he throws his glove up to shield from the sun. The ball lands in the pocket of the glove, but bounces out. The color commentator opines that the scorekeeper has no choice but to rule it a double because of the sun. Sure enough, it's ruled a double. Is this the common call when there is sun?

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On those plays the scorer does not "have" to score it a hit.  Stats will surely chime in but it comes down to the definition of ordinary effort and the scorers view of the circumstances on any given play.

 

I would say that being blinded by the sun moves this play away from ordinary effort and is typically ruled a hit as a result.  That is why you'll hear announcers make statements like it has to be a hit.

 

At the MLB level, sooner or latter the hitter will hit a tracer and the CF will go get it and make a diving catch to take away a 2 bagger.  So it is the baseball gods leveling it up a little. 

I had always considered sun more of a constant that a fielder should take into account. My biggest issue was that he didn't flounder around like he couldn't find the ball. He just put his glove up to shield and only seemed to lose it at the last second and it did land right in the glove. I was just a little surprised that it seemed to them like such an obvious call.

I hear you.  That's the thing about those guys, they make so many difficult plays look routine that when you get the odd play that they look human it surprises you.  I might give the guy an E if he has his glasses on his hat (pet peeve) just so the pitcher doesn't take the rap for they guy not being ready out there.

 

I always look forward to those loops in the between innings where they show the fielding bloopers.  There are always a few of these where a guy gets conked on the head or something.  Since they make more 99% of those plays any time I see one of them flinch from the glare I'd be inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. 

Well, I got to see a replay of it, and chances are if I was at the game in the pressbox scoring that play, I’d have scored it a double too. The reason is, from what I could tell, the weather conditions altered the definition of ordinary effort. But having said that, I wouldn’t get to lathered up if someone scored it as an error either.

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