There was a strange play at Great American Ball Park on Saturday night.
A reminder that baseball can be beautiful and confusing, each in its own way.
At the bottom of the fifth inning, just minutes after Joey Foto’s 10th home smash of the season to give the Reds a 5-2 lead, a short series of hoopla ensued.
more:Tyler Mahle impressed again on his last start before the deadline for trading in the Reds’ win
more:The six beginnings that defined Luis Castillo’s six seasons with the Cincinnati Reds
more:‘Best in the long run’: Reds replace Luis Castillo with Mariners for four potential players
With one exit, Kyle Farmer raised a single blow into a shallow right field.
Right behind him, Nick Senzel charged a line in the left field wall with left Orioles player Austin Hayes tracking him all the way.
Hayes, who timed his jump perfectly, smoothly cornered the ball from the wall in his glove. Hayes quickly turned and sent the ball back.
Snzel said, “I saw him hit the wall but, you know, the farm didn’t. That’s exactly what it was. It’s not like he’s doing anything, just playing the game. He’s got a hard corner. to the man’s gauntlet but he still throws it to first base.”
Farmer was walking away from Senzel’s connection.
“Nick hit her hard,” said Farmer. “I saw (Hayes) jump and jump really high and I saw the ball in his glove, so I ran back and slipped the scorpion, maybe he had a concussion, but I don’t know. I feel bad because Nick didn’t get hit because of that because you hit a ball so hard from You’re supposed to get it. I just thought he caught it.”
As Farmer was hurrying back to first base, he passed Snuzel, who stopped and raised his arms in confusion.
“Scorpion slip is when your feet go like that. You know a scorpion looks like that. My feet were like a scorpion’s sting,” said Farmer, pointing to his hands.
more:What will happen next after the Reds trade with Luis Castillo
more:The loss of the Cincinnati Reds soon overshadowed Luis Castillo Trade
more:Nightengale: Tyler Stephenson wants to stay a catch and the Reds should keep him there
The farmer’s face hit the dirt around the first base.
“The ground hit me in the face,” Farmer said. “My arm got stuck and my face faced the dirt.”
At first, the Orioles left the field as if they were running a final double game, but Snuzel and Farmer stayed near first base at a loss.
The judges met briefly and were joined by Reds manager David Bale. The governors then made their way to the Baltimore hideout to meet with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
“You think you know the game,” Bell said. “Then some things happened and he spoke very quickly. Apparently Farmer thought he caught the ball, which is very understandable. He lunged again, Nick saw he didn’t catch it, he’s running.
“…we still have a runner there at the end of it all, we were so happy with that. I thought the judges did a great job. I went out to ask if they called it a catch. They really did a great job classifying it all and explaining it. They were definitely above it “.
Senzel was summoned and was not awarded a hit because Farmer did not advance with another base. The Orioles’ first-team captain, Trey Mancini, is credited with placing the unassisted prop based on the rule, which states: “When a runner is called to pass another runner, the official scorer must attribute the hit to the player closest to the point of the pass.”
Snzel said, “I wasn’t very cheerful, but you know, I’ve had quite a bit of time to think about it. No bad intention. We try to win, we try to play, things like this happen. It’s weird how that happened.”
Umpire crew chief Larry Vanover explained the post-game sequence to a pool reporter.
“We have a wall hitter in the player’s glove,” Vanover said. “You have a base hit in the play. The runner who initially runs to third, thinks the ball has been caught. He goes back to the start. They throw the ball. Now the hitter runner, who hits the ball, touches first and passes the runner who plays at first, so he becomes out to pass. So there’s one in play. The guy who was at the base is back in first and he’s safe. That makes two naysayers in the inning and we continue to play.
“The runner at first didn’t see it. It was a confusing play. I didn’t take part in a play like this. It was the first.”
Newcomer Jake Fraley pulled off a streak of the second half to cement the lead to 7-2.
For all its glory, baseball and confusion seem destined to be together.