Grandal runs into the throw on purpose, a breakdown

Oct 14, 2021 1.9M views 4:45

What Happened

In Game 4 of the 2021 ALDS, with Houston trailing the White Sox and runners on with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, Zack Greinke entered in relief and faced Yasmani Grandal. Grandal hit a dribbler down the first base line, and instead of running in foul territory, he drifted into fair grass directly in the throwing lane. The catcher's throw home hit Grandal, the ball skidded away, and the runner scored as Astros players and manager Dusty Baker argued he ran out of the baseline. Umpires ruled the play legal because a runner establishes his own basepath and only intentional interference counts.

Why This Matters

This is a great rules-nerd moment because everyone watching assumed Grandal cheated, and technically he didn't. The 'baseline' that matters for runners is really only on plays at first and at home, and even there the runner gets to set his own path as long as he stays consistent and doesn't intentionally throw an arm or shoulder up to deflect the ball. Jomboy's tape work showing Grandal running on the grass that one time but in foul territory on other comparable grounders is the whole case, and it cuts both ways: it looks intentional, but intent to run there isn't the same as intent to interfere. The Astros couldn't get the call overturned. Houston still won the series in four games, so the bizarre legal loophole became trivia rather than a turning point.

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Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Zack Greinke.

Key Terms Mentioned

Full Transcript

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bottom of the fourth inning in a lds

playoff game zach grenky comes in he

checks out the scoreboard he's like

what's the situation or the situation

it's seven to six houston's losing