The Blue Jays walked away with a 2-1 win over the Red Sox on Monday night, but the seventh inning left behind a mess that is still getting picked apart.
At the center of it all was a bizarre sequence in the top of the seventh, when Boston was allowed to score a run even though one runner apparently failed to tag up on a fly ball. Toronto then completed a double play, catching the fly ball for the second out and firing to first to double off another runner. The strange part was that the run still counted.
The explanation came down to the so-called “fourth out rule,” which required Toronto to appeal the runner who did not tag at third base if it wanted to prevent the run from scoring. That part was at least clear enough after the game, when manager John Schneider said the rule made sense and “it is what it is.”
What bothered him more was the explanation he said the umpires gave him in the moment. Schneider said he was told the Blue Jays could not appeal because the fielders had already left the field of play before the run was waived off.
But footage from the play appears to undercut that version. In the clip circulating afterward, home plate umpire Charlie Ramos can be seen waving off the run while several Blue Jays players are still on the field. Ramos also threw a ball toward the mound as the players were jogging off, still within the playing field, which would naturally signal that the inning was over and no further play could be made.
The oddity did not change the final score, but it has plenty of people wondering whether the rule itself should be revisited. It also raised questions about the different explanations coming from the umpiring crew about what Toronto was or wasn’t allowed to do after the out at first base.
The whole sequence might have been avoided if the scoreboard had shown the correct number of outs before the pitch. Both Boston runners appeared to be moving on contact because they believed there were two outs. Still, players are taught not to trust the scoreboard alone and to check with coaches and umpires when there’s any doubt.
The teams will pick things back up in Toronto on Tuesday, with both still chasing bigger goals. Boston is trying to close in on the New York Yankees at the top of the Wild Card standings and remains in the mix for the AL East, while Toronto is aiming to climb back to .500 and stay in the Wild Card race.
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