Strange Play

This would be a good question for the Umpire section of HSBBWeb where our crack staff of blues can make their call.    BTW....I think the correct call was made.  It Is not a dead ball.

Not an umpire, but I agree with fenway, live ball.

Live ball.  Sorry for the player but those are the breaks.

I remember a play in MLB a few years back that had some of the same elements.Out fielder crashes.lays crumpeled.Other OF show up waves to dugout.Baserunners all running and score.Heres the jist.downed out fielder made the catch.ball was still in glove.ANOTHER outfielder took ball out of downed outfielders glove. and threw ball in.All runners are allowed to score.

That was Rick Ankiel who made the catch. Chris Duncan was the first outfielder out there. I don't remember, but I don't think there were any runners on. Dunc threw the ball back in after telling Rick to stay put. The Reds argued that it wasn't a catch, but I don't think they contested long..

Unfortunately, in case of injury, you play it out and then deal with the injury. Trust me, as an athletic trainer, it's hard to stand there and watch play continue when you know there is a player hurt on the field. But you have to wait until play is suspended before you respond.

Good call. The only time we kill play due to an injury is if further play puts that player at risk.

Actually the play goes back farther than that.My grandfather would give me the look if he thought i was not keeping up with his cardinels.I really miss that man.The play was at wrigley.Dunston took the ball from glove.I have not seen/watch it happen before or since.The way I rember it to be a legal catch the fielder making the catch must be the player to remove ball from glove.Even tho ball was caught it was ruled inside the park Hr.

That is incorrect. The catch is not completed until there is possession and voluntary release; however, because a ball is considered in flight if it touches a fielder, another fielder can make a catch in this situation by possessing the ball (still considered in flight, even though it is stationary) and committing a voluntary release (throw, switching hands, etc.)

I wonder if we can track down this play, and see what happened.

I can try it will take time The outfielder caught ball them immediatte contact with wall.Player laying on ground not moving.Until replay not sure where ball is.Before replay happens ANOTHER player reaches in downed and still not moving players glove throws ball in.bases cleared.inside the parker.

Here's the Ankiel play, mentioned above.  http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4424439&c_id=mlb 

End result was a triple and pretty clearly not a catch under the rules.  Current MLB rules:

A CATCH is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it; providing he does not use his cap, protector, pocket or any other part of his uniform in getting possession. It is not a catch, however, if simultaneously or immediately following his contact with the ball, he collides with a player, or with a wall, or if he falls down, and as a result of such collision or falling, drops the ball. It is not a catch if a fielder touches a fly ball which then hits a member of the offensive team or an umpire and then is caught by another defensive player. In establishing the validity of the catch, the fielder shall hold the ball long enough to prove that he has complete control of the ball and that his release of the ball is voluntary and intentional. If the fielder has made the catch and drops the ball while in the act of making a throw following the catch, the ball shall be adjudged to have been caught.

Rule 2.00 (Catch) Comment: A catch is legal if the ball is finally held by any fielder, even though juggled, or held by another fielder before it touches the ground. Runners may leave their bases the instant the first fielder touches the ball. A fielder may reach over a fence, railing, rope or other line of demarcation to make a catch. He may jump on top of a railing, or canvas that may be in foul ground. No interference should be allowed when a fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball. He does so at his own risk.

If a fielder, attempting a catch at the edge of the dugout, is “held up” and kept from an apparent fall by a player or players of either team and the catch is made, it shall be allowed.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199905090.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool

That's the only game I can find where Dunston was a Cardinal and playing, and the opposition hit an IPHR.  Play-by-play mentions only that Brant Brown hit an IPHR to CF, which is where Dunston was playing, and neither Dunston, nor LF/RFers Drew and Davis came out of the game at that point.  Haven't found video of the play yet.

Wouldn't rule out something that ended up being ruled a catch happening in a similar spot, though.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05...-98-post-season.html

This mentions the Brown IPHR came after Dunston crashed into the wall and couldn't recover quickly enough, but he apparently didn't actually catch it first.

http://articles.chicagotribune...sutcliffe-paul-runge

This references both a "drop" by Dave Martinez of the Cubs, and one earlier the same season by Willie McGee of the Cardinals, though it appears that in neither case was the ball removed from the glove of Martinez/McGee by another player.  No video that I can easily find on either of these.

I did not realize Dunston was ever a Cardenal I thought he left cubs for S. the cubs were playing at wrigley.It happened in the early 90s

I think this is the only game in which Dunston played for the Cubs and an opponent hit an IPHR, http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199404230.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool

In that one, the IPHR happened after Dunston had been removed from the game, so I didn't look any closer, but there's no indication in the play-by-play of an injury.

This list, http://www.baseball-reference....x/share.cgi?id=CjaAL, should contain all the IPHR during Dunston's career, in case I'm missing the particular one.  Not sure how you'd find the specific play if it didn't end up being scored an IPHR without more details to go on.

While looking for this play, I did come across this IPHR, which I post for sheer amusement value.

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100522&content_id=10325668&c_id=was&vkey=news_was