Watch: Red Sox star slams umps for helping no-hitter happen
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea threw the first no-hitter of the 2018 season Saturday, and he did it against the league’s hottest team, the Boston Red Sox.
The A’s blanked the Red Sox behind a dominant Manaea, who gave up no runs on no hits, with 10 strikeouts and just two walks.
But Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi is scratching his head at one play he believes should have broken up the no-hitter.
With two outs in the top of the 6th, Benintendi hit a dribbler up the first-base line. First baseman Matt Olson scooped it up and reached out to tag Benintendi. He appeared to miss the tag and Benintendi thought he had a base hit.
But after the umpires conferred, they changed the call to an out, saying Benintendi went out of the baseline to avoid the tag.
According to the Baseball Rules Academy, “Any runner is out when he runs more than three-feet away from his base path to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely.”
That was the explanation crew chief Brian Gorman provided after the game.
“He has three feet either way. So if he goes more than three feet avoiding the tag he’s declared out for being out of his baseline,” Gorman told reporters, according to the Boston Herald.
“After a discussion with the crew, we decided that he was far enough away from … and he avoided the tag,” Gorman added. “To avoid the tag he was more than three feet away. The first base umpire and home plate umpire got together — they had two of the best views of it. When whether we get together — all four of us are together. Four brains are better than one.”
But Benintendi wasn’t buying it.
“They said I was out of the baseline. I don’t know. I’ve never seen that call before. It’s kind of suspect in that situation. It just sucks. It’s a big-league hit. They don’t grow on trees,” Benintendi said. “I’ve never seen that call before. I think if we have 10 hits at that point, it’s a single. But I mean, the situation that the game was in, they might have been searching for something and they found it.”
“Usually if you’re going to second base and you’re out of the baseline, the play is dead, but I touched the base, the guy called me safe and they huddle as a group and make the call, so I’ve never seen that before. It just sucks,” he added.
Benintendi indicated he thought the replay just proved he was safe.
“We went and watched the replay and I was able to reach out and touch first base with my left hand. I don’t know if they hold rulers or something in measuring, but it is what it is,” he said.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t agree with the call either.
“I’ve seen worse. I honestly think (Benintendi) was past him and then when his right foot got to the grass, he started his slide, so I don’t know. He explained it to me. It’s different because usually that call, the first-base umpire makes the call, but he was looking for the tag and (home plate umpire) Hunter Wendelstedt agreed that he missed it,” Cora said.
“He said that he was the one that changed the play, it wasn’t the other umpire.”
Still, he seemed somewhat resigned to the fact that what’s done is done.
“Do I agree with it? No,” Cora said. “It is what it is.”
Chris Sale took the loss for the Red Sox, who fell to 17-3. Oakland improved to 10-11.
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