Plate discipline: MLB umps crack down on blocking home

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

The rough-and-tumble days of Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse at home plate of the 1970 All-Star Game are long gone.

Most believe that’s a change for the better.

“It’s not a football game,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’ve got to make sure guys stay safe.”

But the drama — and sometimes controversy — surrounding plays at the plate are still around more than 50 years later.

Two MLB games over the past 10 days were partially decided after video replay overturned plays at the plate, favoring baserunners over the catcher. The first was in Washington’s 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres and the other was in Detroit’s 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

The plays were strikingly similar: Cleveland’s Austin Hedges and San Diego’s Austin Nola each tagged out a runner at the plate, but on review, it was ruled that the catchers failed to give a clear lane for the runner to score and the call was overturned.

Hedges and Nola were both stunned. Hedges was particularly angry, calling the reversal “embarrassing.” The Padres and Guardians are both fighting for playoff spots.

“I thought I did everything the way we practice: Step back, give him a lane, not throw the knee in front,” Nola said.

So are the catchers right? As with many things, it’s complicated.

MLB rules state that “unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score.”

Sounds simple enough. The problem is the catcher is trying to get in good position to field the ball, adjusting to the trajectory of the throw. Many times, that means the catcher moves a foot in front or on top of the plate. Even if the plate isn’t completely blocked, it makes for a more difficult sliding target for the baserunner.

At that point, it becomes a judgment call.

The rule has been around for several years: It was changed in 2014 and is colloquially called the “Buster Posey rule” after the All-Star catcher suffered a broken ankle on a play at the plate. But umpires’ willingness to rule in favor of baserunners is arguably a new development.

Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly said he understands both sides of the debate.

“You’ve got to be conscience of what you’re doing, where you’re positioned,” Kelly said. “But ultimately, we’ve got to be able to go get the ball.”

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo agreed that the rule is simple, even if the interpretation is not. He added that plays at the plate happen in a hurry and there’s a lot of moving parts in a couple seconds.

“The timing of sports in slow motion sometimes looks so different than what actually happens in front of you when you’re doing it,” Lovullo said. “I don’t think anyone is maliciously acting out to break the rules.”

AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington contributed to this report.