April 06, 2005
Out on a Walk
I just saw a play I never saw before! Damon on first, Nixon up. On a 3-1 count, Damon takes off for second. It's ball four, but the throw goes through. Damon reaches the bag, but then comes off as he comes up from his slide. Jeter tags him, and Damon is out. He's not caught stealing, but the result is the same. Out advancing on a walk. Great play by Jeter.
Posted by David Pinto at
03:07 PM
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This can't help Damon much with already impatient Sox fans. But of course, Johnny's mind may have been elsewhere, given that he, and some of his mates, have to hurry back to Boston to attend the premiere of "Fever Pitch." Johnny's act may be wearing just a little thin.
Without gamechannel I only caught this play at Yahoo Sports. Couldn't figure out this line:
- T. Nixon walked, J. Damon out at second.
Bizzaro.
Thanks for clearing it up.
I'll be honest, after hearing about some of the things that he has said in his book regarding his "high school sweetheart" and the mother of his children... I'll be booing him when I'm at Fenway this year. I also suspect he's been on the juice for a few years... but that's just speculation.
Listening to the game on the radio, couldn't believe my ears when they called this play. I was under the impression that the ball is not "in play" immediately after a walk is called. Though, if the umps made the right call here, my impression was clearly incorrect...
Jason:
The ball's not in play. That doesn't mean that Posada can't throw it to Jeter or Gary Sheffield if he feels like it. Damon had a right to second base, and went to second base, and then left second base, at which point Jeter tagged him. That's the logic here.
I think Jason's belief is that the ball is *dead* after a walk until (somehow) that is corrected by an umpire calling for play to resume.
I haven't read the rules to see if that's actually the case, though. It doesn't sound like it is (or, if it is, then the umps mis-called it obviously)
Here's an easy way to solve it. Damon has a right to third base if he can get there, right? Like if he runs to second and the defense is asleep he can light out for third if he wants, right? This is a classic Little League play, or, Alfredo Griffin/Ozzie Guillen type play. So if he can try for third, the ball's not really dead, right? The defense has the right to stop him. Structurally speaking Damon's CS (or whatever it is scored as) is the same thing as his being thrown out at third after being awarded second on a walk.
