Angel Hernandez made an out signal that confused a base runner, so Hernandez let him have the base:
Benintendi was eventually awarded third base on the premise that one of the umpires, presumably Hernandez, had ruled either Ramirez or Naylor initially caught Perez’s fly ball. Video appeared to indicate Hernandez casually making his way from behind first base toward the area where the catch/no catch occurred. The replay appeared to show Hernandez raising his arm as if to indicate an out on a catch, which could have prompted the confusion for Benintendi.
An incensed Cleveland manager Terry Francona argued with Hernandez near the third-base line while pitcher Sam Hentges threw a few warmup pitches to stay loose.
Francona eventually returned to his dugout without being ejected. Ultimately the call did not end up costing the Indians any runs. Hentges struck out Jorge Soler, and after walking Hunter Dozier, got Michael A. Taylor on a fly ball to right to end the inning.
Cleveland.com
Indians fans are calling for Hernandez to be fired.
Meanwhile, Tony La Russa didn’t know the full extra-inning rule when he placed a runner who was a pitcher:
La Russa claimed he didn’t fully know the extra inning rule, which would have allowed him to avoid using closer Liam Hendriks as a baserunner in a 0-0 game against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Hendriks had double-switched into the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, inhabiting the No.5 spot in the batting order which made the last out in the top of the ninth. Per MLB rules, as extra innings begin, the spot in the order to make the last out in the previous inning becomes the base runner at second base. However, if that spot is occupied by a pitcher, the team has the option to use the preceding player in the batting order as the runner. In this case, it would have been Jose Abreu.
“I didn’t know that,” La Russa said after the 1-0 loss. “We all thought Liam was going to be the runner. I wasn’t aware Abreu could have run. I thought it was the guy that made the last out or the spot in that order.”
ESPN.com
I must admit that I didn’t know that rule, but then again, I’m not paid millions of dollars to know the rules.
I’ll leave it to the Who to explain what’s going on:
There was also an umpire snafu in the second game of the Mets-Cardinals doubleheader. After the Cards’ starter, Kim, walked three consecutive batters, there was a conference at the mound of players and Kim’s interpreter. Later in the inning the manager and pitching coach came out. The Mets said Kim had to be removed because of two conferences in the inning, the umpires said no because no coaches/manager came out for the first conference, but it turns out that if an interpreter goes to the mound it’s required by the rules that a coach go with him. The umps conferred with their office in NY and it was decided that although they were wrong, because the infraction during the first visit had not been called to the Cards’ attention, the requirement to remove the pitcher upon the second visit of the inning would not be enforced.
This all says to me the rules are too complicated.