Controversy is brewing over a three-peat line infringement call in the game between Samsung and KIA in Gwangju on Wednesday.
Here’s what happened. Samsung’s Pirela hit a hard ground ball that rolled toward first base. The pitcher, Yang Hyun-jong, quickly picked up the ball and threw it toward first base, but the throw deflected toward second base. In a way, Yang couldn’t have thrown the ball that far because the runner, Pirela, was running in the way of the throw. The ball was lost, and the runner on first base went to third base.
KIA manager Kim Jong-guk immediately requested a video replay, thinking that the runner had run inside the first base foul line and down the fairway, violating the three-peat line rule. After a lengthy review, the umpire called the play safe, explaining that the pitcher’s delivery was wrong from the start, so the runner’s run didn’t affect the play.
Immediately after the call, the TV screen showed Yang Hyun-jong’s expression of disbelief. Coach Kim Jong-kook also came out of the dugout to protest the call, arguing that Pirela was blocking his path and he was forced to dodge the throw, resulting in a bad throw. However, the call was not repeated, and Coach Kim was automatically ejected for protesting the video review.
The situation felt like déjà vu. Just a month earlier, the same situation had occurred in a game between NC and KIA on June 16. With runners on first and second base, KIA’s Shin Beom-soo attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt. NC’s Ryu Jin-wook, who caught the bunt, slipped while trying to throw to third base and threw to first base, but the throw coincidentally hit Shin’s ankle as he was running to first base. The ball slipped out of play and the runner from third came home, tying the game. NC’s head coach Kang In-hwon then requested a video review, claiming that the runner had crossed the third base line. The call was overturned after the video review. It was determined that Shin Beom-soo jumped inside the foul line and interfered with Ryu Jin-wook’s throw. 토토사이트 순위
Coach Kim Jong-kook jumped out of the dugout to protest the call, as Ryu’s throw to first base was skewed toward home, and Shin was not in a position to block the throw while running the bases. The call was not overturned and Coach Kim was ejected.
So, what the heck is the three-foot line rule? The Baseball Rules of Order states in Rule 5.09 Out: “A runner is out when the umpire determines that he has obstructed a fielder by stepping outside the three-foot line inside or outside the foul line while running the second half of the distance between home plate and first base.
From a lawyer’s perspective, the above rule seems a bit problematic. First, it’s not clear what constitutes obstruction, and second, it gives the umpire a lot of discretion.
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