TORONTO – Game 5 of the American League Division Series between the Rangers and the Blue Jays had no shortage of drama Wednesday as the benches cleared twice, fans repeatedly threw debris on the field and Toronto played under protest after a botched throw back to the mound led to a controversial go-ahead run.
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After Toronto catcher Russell Martin caught a pitch with two out in the seventh inning, he attempted to throw the ball back to pitcher Aaron Sanchez.
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The ball struck the bat of Shin Soo-Choo, who was standing in the batter’s box and had his arm extended and bat upright.
When the ball rolled down the third-base line, Roughned Odor scampered home to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.
Many players on the field thought the play was dead. Home-plate umpire Dale Scott conferred with his crew and decided the run would count.
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The decision sent the raucous sellout Rogers Centre crowd into a frenzy, with some fans throwing garbage on to the field. Players gathered by the infield and some went into the dugout to avoid getting pelted by garbage.
Toronto manager John Gibbons argued with Scott and the play was eventually reviewed. The call stood after a review of over two minutes.
“Totally insane,” Gibbons said. “I lost my voice, I probably lost my mind at some points.”
According to the official rules, if the batter interferes with the catcher’s throw to retire a runner by stepping out of the batter’s box, interference shall be called on the batter under Rule 6.03 (a) (3).
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However, if the batter is standing in the batter’s box and he or his bat is struck by the catcher’s throw back to the pitcher (or throw in attempting to retire a runner) and, in the umpire’s judgment, there is no intent on the part of the batter to interfere with the throw, the ball is alive and in play.
“I’m still not certain what happened, what was going on, what the ruling is,” Gibbons said. “The rules are what they are and I’m still a bit in the fog about that.”
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