Astros Deke Diamondbacks into Losing Chance to Appeal that Yuli Gurriel Left Early

The Houston Astros baited the Arizona Diamondbacks into losing the opportunity to appeal a runner's leaving third base early on a play that gave Houston a game-tying run. Article: https://www.closecallsports.com/2021/...

The heads-up baseball play came when, after Houston baserunner R3 Gurriel had scored on a sacrifice fly by teammate Carlos Correa. As Diamondbacks pitcher Bradyn Sittinger stepped off the rubber to appeal Gurriel's early departure, Houston's new baserunner on third base, Kyle Tucker, took off for home plate and drew Sittinger's attention. Sittinger then threw the baseball to third baseman Josh VanMeter who focused on retiring Tucker and eventually chased down and tagged Tucker without ever having touched third base to appeal on Gurriel.

According to Official Baseball Rule 5.09(c), "appeals under this rule must be made before the next pitch, or any play or attempted play." Because VanMeter made a play on Tucker by virtue of tagging him out, the D-Backs lost their opportunity to appeal on Gurriel because of this "play or attempted play."

There are two ways to appeal.

First is the traditional "delayed" appeal wherein a pitcher waits until the play ends, Time is called, etc., then after the ball is put back into play, steps off the rubber and throws to the base where the appeal will take place. That's what happened here and "any play or attempted play" that happens before the appeal is executed (before the fielder tags the base) will nullify the opportunity to appeal.

Second is the better way to appeal, which colloquially may be deemed the "real-time" appeal. This appeal occurs during the play itself in which the baserunning infraction occurred. To effect a real-time appeal, all one has to do is tag the base while the ball is still live during the continuous action created by and following the batted [or thrown, or pitched] ball.

The MLB Umpire Manual clearly identifies the continuous action of the original play (e.g., before time is called or the ball is returned to the pitcher on the mound) as exempt from the appeal's "play or attempted play" statute of limitations. Obviously, this continuous action exemption does not apply to delayed/traditional appeals after the play has ended.

Had Arizona 3B VanMeter simply tagged third base during the tail-end of the prior play while appealing to 3B Umpire Jeff Nelson that Astros R3 Gurriel had left early, Nelson would have ruled on the appeal then and there.

But because the Diamondbacks waited until "Time" was called and then the ball put back into play with the pitcher on the mound and next batter in the box, they became subject to the "play or attempted play" clause that Houston took advantage of when third base coach Omar Lopez sent baserunner R3 Kyle Tucker in order to distract Arizona from the planned Gurriel appeal and draw them into making a play to close the door on that potential appeal opportunity.