Game-winning run scores after umpires decide the catcher was blocking the plate, a breakdown 

One of the worst I've seen in a while. It looked like he was beside the plate, not in the runner's lane AND he was legitimately fielding the ball.

It's scary to think what kind of phone calls Vegas might be making to those replay officials during a moment like this.

The enforcement of this rule has been complete bullshit for a long time now. "Legitimate move to field the throw" is such an incredibly bad wording if they intend to enforce the rule such if you can possibly contort your body to catch the ball outside of the entire basepath and the runner gets a free lane to wherever he wants to slide - not just any open part of the plate. Completely lacks any common sense or knowledge of the game of baseball to call these plays in this manner.

@@bormz7191 This was not on Vegas it was the simple fact that the Rangers have refused to bow to the lgbtqeQUEER crowd and WOKE MLB will make them pay.

1) As far as I know, Angel F. Hernandez still has a job. ~ 2) We haven't gotten any terrible on-the-field calls from him. ~ 3) He's still Angel F. Hernandez. ~ 4) QED, he's working replays. If the owners really want to get people watching games, think about this: You could get together and buy out Angel Hernandez's retirement for a lot less money than you spend on "star power".

Seriously! The catcher did the textbook move: he moved to get the ball->got the ball->he blocks the plate

@@warlordofbritannia Stuff like this has to be equally frustrating to the Ump who made the original call.

This is what the MLB said: ... Heim’s “initial positioning was illegal, and his subsequent actions while not in possession of the ball hindered and impeded the runner’s path to home plate.” It also doesn't help that while catching the ball he goes on one knee. The textbook move is to stay on your feet and sweep the runner.

We need more empathy from umps, that have been extra touchy in these past few years.

​@PapaVanTwee5 how was his initial positioning illegal though? He was standing on the plate (with access from literally all sides) and then shifted when the throw pulls him to the outside of the plate. What else do they want him to do?

He’s a Yank fan not a Sox fan. I think you’re mixing up the jerseys since they’re so similar

You literally just watched a video explaining the call lol. It hindered the runner

​@@killa2488tell me. How do you operate with sludge coursing through your brain when the rest of us have blood? Genuinely curious.

@@stevenhetzel6483 that response, instead of having an actual reply regarding the conversation, tells me all I need to know about you haha. I don’t care about insults on the internet, we are just here to talk baseball dude

@@killa2488 I just don't get how you can make a dumb comment replying to someone requesting that MLB should explain why they overturned a call. This was clearly a breakdown of the call, but from a third part not the MLB. Secondly how did it hinder the runner who was out the moment the ball was in the catchers glove. (I know not actually but in reality there isn't much the runner could have done, the catcher had the advantage.

@@JDs_RandomHandle I’m just pointing out that Jomboy went over all the possible rules it could have been. And explained the most plausible one in detail. On your note though, It’s pretty clear the runner had to change direction which we can all agree on. Then the fact that the play was STILL as close as it was tells me that if he didn’t have to change his path, he probably woulda had a good shot at beating the tag. That’s what I think the MLB thought

"After reviewing the play the call on the field stands. The ball did in fact travel 458 feet into the stands for a 3-run homer, Texas remains their challenge."

Troll Level - Expert

As a father of a baseplayer, Ive seen many funny digs at the umps.

They’re gonna do a bobble head promo with Heim calling for a review😂

@@danieldominguez7698 Limited edition. First 20,000 fans.

All they came up with was an excuse. BS call and everyone knows it.

The catcher and home plate ump did perfectly here-catcher followed the rules on the play and the ump acknowledged how bad the call is but he can’t do anything about it

I appreciated that as well. Still a one run game. You got the 9th left to play. As an Ump, you should always be de-escalating and trying to keep guys in the game. The NFL and MLS refs do a great job as well, but NBA refs have a problem with antagonizing players who are clearly upset. You just can't take stuff personally as a ref. It isn't about you.

@@AlexanderShrevei agree NBA reffs can be so heartless about a bad call in the 4th quarter. Everyone is there to see both teams give it all in the 4th so understand when you’re stealing momentum and don’t be so pissy about a player arguing. De-escalate should be in the job desc

@@warlordofbritannia actually it was a good call by the replay official, the catcher is required to be in fair territory when he is setting up for the ball, he wasn't and was back behind and on the plate...he is according to the rules required to be in front of the plate leaving a path to the plate BEFORE the ball gets there and he wasn't. Good call on the replay officials....time to educate the masses like yourself not to mention the catchers and umps.

Except in that play the catcher was fully blocking the plate, as he was straddling the line

Where’s a video of the play?

Wish that one also would get the Jomboy breakdown treatment too!

@@etamommy Can we all just agree that we need Jomboy breakdowns on every pitch of every game? I know it sounds like a lot to ask, but Project Scoresheet started out much the same way.

Even clearer? The Padres catcher was straddling the foul line in between the runner and the plate and literally blocked his path. He backed up further into the runner’s path unnecessarily as he caught it and then stuck his foot way out behind him to block even more of the path. Here the catcher is mostly behind the plate and to one side. He has to move to the other side to catch the ball and that forces the runner to adjust, but he isn’t really blocking anything. The runner can see the plate in front of the catcher the whole way. I wish the rule still allowed the Giants runner to plow through the Padres catcher in the situation for blocking the path, but it doesn’t. So they have to make that call.

Which is honestly the worst part because they could overturn roboumps.

Sometimes I think umps do stuff like this as a way of justifying their jobs and pretending they’re important.

at least plate ump got the call right, made the judgement that the plate and progress were not impeded... it was overturned, which I always remember that you cannot argue JUDGEMENT, which I agree with plate ump and not Booth ump.

Or just trying to avoid the tag (which he nearly does).

Not really though, he clearly dove to the left because of the catcher’s position. The bat was easily avoidable on his original path.

A smart base runner who has seen this video or others like it should probably just change directions every time since it apparently makes you safe automatically.

@@TheHeadinchargestill doesn’t make the call right. The catcher is allowed to take any position if it’s in an attempt to field the ball, which is exactly what happened here

@@TheHeadincharge unless he's going for a swipe tagging dive with outstretched left hand face first - then he's headbutting the bat in my opinion. Had to change course at the end so not sure there.

The catcher did almost textbook perfect, it’s especially bullshit when you do everything right and get punished for it

@@warlordofbritannia no kidding. I honestly feel like the rule should be that as long as the catcher is positioning to make the catch, he can be anywhere he wants, including in front of the bag, but if he is in front of home plate then he at least has to be making contact with it. And if he is in front of the bag, the runner should be able to make intentional contact with him. But that would set us back over a decade rule wise 😅 but that’s how I grew up was watching contact at home

exactly, it like some liberal DA came up with this rule

In reality: Runner would have been safe if he were a faster runner.

​@@WesleyB-Rook Blame Buster Posey. It is not that complicated to block a plate without leaving one's leg vulnerable, but somehow he couldn't figure it out.

Seriously?? Anyone with a functioning brain can see that double-down is ridiculous

150 yrs of this sport and they still argue over the rules.

The person who made the call in the booth need to have his mental IQ checked , because he is definitely to dumb to work. Sub 60 IQ for sure.

@@jlambe19 They're new rules. Not 150 year old rules.

Honestly, this at least makes more sense than anything Jomboy speculated. I still disagree with the call. But if we're starting from where the catcher starts to move to catch the ball, which is really where Jomboy's analysis starts, I really don't see how he broke the rule, either. But I can at least understand an argument that the catcher was positioned improperly to begin with such that he forced the runner outside in the first place. As the argument would go, the catcher was standing in a way that didn't give the runner an option to slide inside and forced him to run for the outside of the plate (ie, he was blocking the inside path while standing there without possession or attempting to catch it in violation of the rule). Then, the catcher moved to catch the throw, switching from the inside to the outside, forcing the runner to change for the inside side of the plate that previously wasn't available due to the catcher's positioning. I still disagree with the call. That's getting really nuanced and pretty far beyond what the rule was trying to do, IMO. Given that the rule explicitly gives extra deference to the "judgment of the ump," it's even more egregious that they overturned the call on the field in order to say he violated the rule.

He is a out . Period too much stuff... old school. Out!!!

I wish they did it like XFL does their reviews.

they dont look at anything. Bookies look at it in NY and make the call for them based on "rules" aka profit

@@Adam-kr8wy Lmfao this is exactly why I don't bet on sports haha!

MLB should FIRE the dumbpires that overturned the call! They don't even deserve to be IN a baseball park/let alone be making game changing decisions! They're an INSULT to the game!

Umpires need huge ass glasses because they're blind AF at the worst times.

It's sad they rewarded shitty base running, all runners shift their path to try to avoid a tag that's common sense

I think he was on track to slide from the outside and touch the base with his left hand.

@@samc4531 he would have slid straight into the bat that was on the ground if he did that.

@@CoutureThugNo they don’t… what kinda baseball do y’all watch

@@CoutureThugNo, there was room on his original path to slide, not hit the path, and get the bat with his left hand. I get y’all don’t like the call, but this argument that his original path was somehow untenable is ridiculous.

and not just AN opening either, the whole 3rd base-facing side of the plate was available

But he made him change his route by putting his foot on the plate

If the runner has to change his line due to a move of the catcher its arguably a violation and that did happen because had the runner not shifted there would have been a collission. Personally I agree with the home plate umpire because even if he hadn't shifted to catch that throw I don't think it would have mattered and he still would have been out.

I agree, the runner didn't have to change his path, he just chose to, to a) avoid the bat maybe and/or b) to get into a better position to avoid the tag. Ridiculous call.

the runner literally touched the plate... how could he have been blocked?

The fielder needs to throw a catchable ball too. Injuries occurred at the plate, so the rule was out in place.

@@Swolejohll And he did! The catcher moved maybe a foot to the left. The rule is in place so catchers won’t get trucked like Buster Posey when blocking the plate. Heim was never in danger here

@@Swolejohll He threw a catchable ball...How do I know? The catcher caught it.

​@@Swolejohllthe rule was put in place bc home plate was the only base people drop their shoulder and charge the fielder catching the throw. The point of the way they implemented the change is to also take advantage the catcher has with equipment to be able to block the plate and not get spiked. That's how the rule should be enforced. If a fielder moves to field a throw the batter isn't out anywhere else

@@Swolejohll Tell me you know nothing about ball without telling me you know nothing about ball. Tf outta here man. The throw was a one hop strike.

Yeah, I was disappointed Jomboy didn't emphasize that, I feel like that's an aspect a lot of people were missing. The rule is horribly worded, but the logic is pretty straightforward -- IF the catcher does not have the ball, AND is not legitimately attempting to field the throw, AND has hindered or impeded the progress of the runner, THEN they've blocked the plate.

I'm an avid consumer of both channels.

I give the booth umpire a F for making a great play so controversial

I give the catcher and home plate umpire an A for using great mechanics to get in the best position to make the play

Close call sports does an even better job since they are actually umpires

Heyyy fellow ATA peeps

Ice-cold from Jonah. 🤣

@@executivesuites4444to bad he’s terrible

​@@riveraaa.5 what??

​@@riveraaa.5best catcher in the AL. TF you talking about?

@@brocksolomon8953 batting 232 career speaks for itself

Confusing only to people that don't know how to read.

Yeah, this is the part that is getting overlooked. If you "block" the plate in a legitimate attempt to catch the ball, according to how the rule is read, it is NOT a violation no matter what the runner does. MLB reviewers just don't have the reading comprehension skills to understand their own rule which is a shame. But it is what it is

Was looking for this. Agree. I think Jomboy misinterpreted the rule. It's not the first sentence OR the last. It's and AND. Therefore the catcher wasn't actually blocking the plate.

First thing I thought of when the rule popped up on screen. I saw AND in there, so gotta get both to be true.

Exactly! Both have to happen to be considered as illegal blocking. We need lawyers to properly understand and apply these rules.

I think this was the right call actually

@@keithfoley3360 really? I feel that is an incredibly standard position for the catcher to be it. That could get called on any cather 5 times a game

@FartingUnicorn99 ive been pro defense my whole life. i just think he didnt need to put his foot on the plate

@@keithfoley3360 At which point was the catcher obstructing the plate while without the ball or without attempting to field the ball?

Vegas my dude thats all it is

That's pretty much it; we're all equally lost.

But even then, when in session of or catching the ball the catcher can block the plate. But yea, he wasn’t even blocking it, even tho he’s allowed to

@@LeglessWonder 🤷‍♂bizarre call

What a coincidence I’m here for the same reason. Tired of doing reading comp.

That was their excuse to protect the replay ump who botched the call.

​@@vw8886ya that seems more plausible.

Thanks for including this. Hmm... they should make that part of the plate umpires judgement, it's be consistent with the last sentence of the rule - did it make a difference to the play? Was the catcher standing on the plate enough to affect the play? When the toe was on the plate I extremely doubt it affected the the player's mind as he was calculating his course towards home, he would have taken the same course if the catcher's foot was half an inch to the right.

@@vw8886 Same ump the next night made the same horrible call against the Padres! I'm sure Jomboy is going to do it next. And the Padres call, he would have been out anyway. Runner was at least 10 feet from home plate when the catcher had the ball.

So now the catcher has to wait in the stands for the throw? Next season they will have to wait in the parking lot.

I don't think the umps get an explanation from the replay guy, they just tell them "this is the call."

That call was worse then this one. The padres catcher had him out well before the plate. MLB HQ review is botching calls left and right these days. They wonder was drives fans away.

The runner did have to completely shift his line of running.....and (only my opnion) looks like he tripped up a little when he did it slowing him down......He could have arguably been safe had that not happened. I personally doubt it, but its not a zero probablility

Exactly. The plate is in front of the catcher the entire play. How can you call this blocking the plate when he’s behind the plate?

@@HH-st5lpDid you watch the damn video?

yeah this is an absolutely terrible call

The catcher redirected the runner.

100 percent the same! Go Rangers

Every call is a judgment call

Exactly. Normally if the rule has in the judgement of its not reviewable. Or if so it needs to be a super clear error (ie, you get part of rule that was not judgement - ie, did tag happen before base). In this case tag clearly happened before base. Crazy.

@@BobbySacamanonah safe/out calls are different

That's what I want to know? Why should the judgement of an umpire in NYC be any better than one on the field. This isn't a "who got there first" which cameras can help with. This is "what's the intent of the player?"

@@BobbySacamano The difference between a regular call and judgement call is that the umpires are being asked to judge the intent of the player. In this case, "was the catcher trying to make a play on the ball or was he trying to prevent the runner from using his lane?"

Legitimately looks like a video that they would use as an example of how catchers should handle the situation. He was perfectly positioned at the start, only moved to catch the ball and stayed off the line, then tagged him out. Wildly terrible call.

Same ump the next night made the same horrible call against the Padres! I'm sure Jomboy is going to do it next. And the Padres call, he would have been out anyway. Runner was at least 10 feet from home plate when the catcher had the ball. But somehow he was blocking.

Those looked like very fat pitches. Hangers, all.

the umps made the right call, the booth made the wrong call, which is whats so frustrating

The rule is fine. It's just that everyone involved is too stupid to understand it.

the rule is fine, the call was awful

@@uberneanderthal the overturning dumbpires need to be FIRED, they're an INSULT to baseball

Just to make sure this post has every possible response, I'm going with: The rule is fine, the call was fine, the replay booth was awful. Seems like replay rules are written so that if they umps get it wrong, there's no review, but if they get it right there's someone in the booth that still gets a chance to get it wrong.

It's not for us enthusiasts, these things really bring in the casual fans.

These rules are written down

@@DarrenPaul The before season/game directions given to umps are not written down in the rulebook, that's the point. MLB directed umps to call blocking for touching the plate (which is not written in the rule) before the ball gets there. But then they also say that if the ball is clearly there before the runner then the runner is out regardless of blocking (which is not written in the rule) so they really can just call it whichever way they want in cases like this where the catcher touched the plate but also the ball is clearly there before the runner.

You can't expect a barely above 100 IQ umpire to actually understand a simple concept like "and."

I mean, he did change his path, but it definitely wasn't because of the catcher. Maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the freaking bat being in the way...

@@troybaxter he did change his path, but he didn't HAVE to change his path because of some obstruction. He CHOSE to change his path either because the bat or in hopes of making the cather have to work harder to apply the tag. The whole front of the plate was open the whole time.

Yes, 2 days before, there was a clear 'blocking the plate' and NY said 'Nah, its fine'

If they're that concerned about protecting players, they can just make all outs at home plate force outs. Catcher has possession of the ball while touching the plate and runner is between third and home, runner is out. Period. Yeah it would destroy a lot of the drama about throwing out a runner headed for home. But you have to accept that the price for that drama is some risk of player injury. No risk of injury, no reward of dramatic plays.

@@solandri69 Wouldn't have to be that bad... they could steal an old beer league softball rule. You have a chalk line extending out from the front edge of home plate and another chalk line 20ft up the line towards 3B. If the runner crosses that that line it's a force out at home once the runner touches the chalk line at home, no sliding or contact with the catcher or the plate. If the runner stops before that 20ft line, he can retreat. Don't get me wrong, I'd still think this was a terrible idea, but it's a better than anywhere between third and home and you're out... there could still be * some * excitement / close plays.

nah it's dumb and a big part of why the MLB is losing fans. There's constant drama over how a rule is written vs how it's interpreted, then the interpretations change repeatedly throughout the year. For a sport that's been around for over a century they really struggle with basic rule enforcement.

But that's irrelevant if the catcher was making a legitimate attempt to field the throw, which he clearly was. That's why Close Call Sports said it shouldn't have been overturned.

Baseball has become unbearable to watch. I understand screwing up calls in the NFL because you've got 22 guys in motion at all times running 4.4s down a 100 yard field.... but in baseball it's inexcusable. How balls/strikes are not computerized is ridiculous to me, how they can't replay OBVIOUS wrong calls because 'reasons' is ridiculous to me, and the blocking paths, etc. as shown here is ridiculous to me.

The home plate umpire needs to be suspended and go get educated on the rules. How do you not get it right in the first place? Does he not know the rules? Then you're not able to explain it to the catcher. I thought these umpires knew the rules. Guess not all of them. Thank you to the all-seeing replay booth. Replay booth bless all of you.

@@You_suck_at_games The home plate umpire called him out. In other words, the home plate umpire agreed with the catcher in the moment. The booth overturned the call.

@@You_suck_at_games What? You want the homeplate ump to make a bad call too? This was a terrible call by replay what are you talking about lmao.

@@sfmc98 you better repent for that blasphemy talk. May the replay booth have pity on you. Sorry replay booth he know not what he sayith

@@legion2590 yes but thee all mighty booth fixed their mistakes. They clearly violated rule 67.11-1038 which states I took a live line on Chicago to win so I must overturn this call.

Even if you're right handed just throw the bat right there lol

I agree this is a bad call, but close call sports is just a wild haired lady in her living room. I wouldn’t use that as a reference.

Isn't that usually forgiven in these cases? You can't expect runners to go at strict 90 degree angles

@@Liam-cq8bg yeah but if they’re going to use that logic to claim it’s blocking, that’s only the case because he’s WAY out of the baseline and never attempted to get back into the lane.