Gio Urshela walks on 3 balls, a breakdown

May 29, 2021 757.6K views 2:46

What Happened

In a close 1-1 game in the top of the sixth inning, New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela steps up to the plate against Detroit Tigers pitcher Jacob Funkhouser. Urshela takes the first pitch for a ball. He then fouls off the next two pitches, making the count 1-2. Urshela continues to foul off pitch after pitch, grinding out the at-bat and keeping himself alive. The count reaches 2-2 as Urshela battles Funkhouser. On the next pitch, Urshela fouls it back again, keeping the tense duel going. With the count still 2-2, Urshela takes the following pitch, which appears to be a ball. However, the umpire's reaction is unclear - he raises his left hand but does not definitively call it a ball or a foul. The confusion causes both the Tigers and Yankees dugouts to remain silent, unsure of the actual count. Urshela calmly proceeds to first base, having drawn what he believes to be a walk. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and Yankees manager Aaron Boone do not challenge the play and Urshela's teammate Gleyber Torres starts walking to the plate, indicating they too think Urshela has drawn a walk. After the game, Urshela reveals that he knew he had walked on three balls, but he believes no one else realized it in the moment due to the umpire's ambiguous signal on the previous pitch. The umpire's lack of a clear call seems to be the root of the confusion, leaving everyone unsure of the actual count during Urshela's plate appearance. Urshela's heads-up baserunning and composure under pressure allow him to reach base safely, potentially sparking a late-inning rally for the Yankees in this tightly contested American League matchup.

Full Transcript

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all right everyone pay attention

giovanni the goddard shell is up it's a

1-1 game in the top of the six and he

takes ball one

great take by him funkhouser's on the