Perfect throw gets runner out but umpires overturn call, a breakdown
What Happened
In a tense matchup between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the North Carolina Tar Heels, the game is tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and two runners on base. Coastal Carolina left fielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart rifles a throw home to catcher Nick Lucky, who applies the tag on the runner attempting to score. The umpires initially call the runner out, sparking celebrations from the Coastal Carolina dugout. However, the umpires then decide to review the play, considering whether catcher Nick Lucky obstructed the runner's path to the plate. According to the umpires, for a catcher to legally block the plate, he must have possession of the ball or be in the act of fielding the throw. The umpires determine that Lucky was in the runner's path without the ball, and rule the play as obstruction, allowing the run to score. Coastal Carolina head coach Scott Forbes vehemently disagrees with the call, arguing passionately with the umpire. "I thought the play was inconclusive," Forbes says. "I did not feel it was conclusive. It's a bang-bang call, and it has to be inconclusive for you to change it." The umpire stands his ground, explaining the nuances of the obstruction rule and reiterating that in his judgment, Lucky was blocking the plate illegally. Visibly upset, Forbes continues to challenge the decision, but the umpire ultimately ejects him from the game. Despite the controversial call, the game continues, with North Carolina coming back to tie it in the bottom of the 8th inning. In the 10th inning, North Carolina delivers a walk-off single to left field, securing the victory and overcoming the earlier obstruction ruling. As the teams shake hands, the Coastal Carolina players and coaches still appear frustrated by the pivotal call that went against them. However, North Carolina's comeback and eventual win serve as a reminder that even the most impactful officiating decisions can ultimately be overshadowed by the final outcome of the game.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentcoastal carolina versus north carolina
it's two to two with a 2-2 count there's
two outs and two men on and this one is
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tournament going on the winning team
gets 10 000
and if you subscribe you are entered to
win a thousand dollars at the end of the
tournament they're gonna go with an
outside fastball it looks like but the
catcher fakes inside goes outside
puts it in play
runner's gonna round third
left fielder bullets at home and he
is out punched out ball gets tossed in
the air they're celebrating they threw
the go ahead run out wait the umpires
are chatting they're talking they're
going over each other's thoughts with
each other seeing how they're doing
they're saying like we're going to
replay this we're going to review it now
i don't if they if the other team didn't
ask and they're just doing this on their
own it's kind of weird and then we're
reviewing if the catcher obstructed from
the runner if he blocked his path to the
plate
and it's a bit of a nuanced rule and i
have the rules so everyone that loves
rules
is going to enjoy this one now here we
go the runner is about to score the ball
comes into play and the rules state
to rule on a play at the plate the
umpire needs to take a mental snapshot
to record the relative positions of the
runner the catcher and the throw lucky
for us we don't have a mental snapshot
we have a literal snapshot is the runner
attempting to score is he inside the
dirt circle around the plate or within
the last few steps in his approach to
the plate yes he's in the dirt circle
he's attempting to score let's move on
if yes look at the position of the
catcher and the throw okay
is the catcher in the pathway of the
runner if the answer is yes and a runner
is attempting to score he needs to have
possession of the ball he does not have
possession in the ball or be in the act
of fielding the throw what does that
mean you ask well according to rule 255
notes one and six act of fielding the
throw is further defined by if the
fielder is about to receive a thrown
ball and the ball is in flight directly
toward and near enough to the fielder so
he must occupy his position to receive
the throw yeah we got that man the
ball's there it's coming right towards
him that's where he would be standing to
feel that throw because it's a perfect
throw
says to summarize
to be in the act of fielding the fielder
must be in a position where a legitimate
attempt will allow him to receive a
nearby throw that is coming directly
toward him as stated in rule 255 note 6
it is entirely up to the judgment of the
umpire as to whether the fielder is in
the act of fielding a ball or not great
note 6 you son of a [ __ ] you just told
us the exact parameters what to look for
here we are me and everyone looking at
the snapshot saying yeah he's in the
circle he's trying to score yeah the
catcher is in the act of fielding that
ball that's where he would be standing
and then note 6 comes in and says hey
you don't get a [ __ ] say whatever the
umpire says goes and you can't even
question it so
whatever
i have him out but it's up to these guys
they say he's safe they say block the
plate and he says come here i'll tell
you about it don't even worry coach
comes out believe his name is scott
forbes the coach and look at that that
umpire just ran into a buzz off a man
one two three oh
you're about to hear it sure are
and they're talking he's like let me
tell you what i thought let me tell you
what i saw no no no
i saw it too he's like you're not gonna
let me explain it to you it's like why
would i i saw it too you're wrong i do i
am able to read some of the lips coming
up because he comes over catcher's
distraught he's sad
drops a bull crap on him we're in the
south he goes that's bull crap
he did not
umpire said he did he blocked his way
blah blah blah blah blah he's got to
give him a lane blah blah blah blah i
get to make up my mind all the rules
don't matter note 6 [ __ ]
says
the ball no
no
you're wrong
you made the wrong call
no that's wrong
no i i just watched the whole replay
you're so wrong
[Laughter]
i like that one you're so wrong
[Laughter]
not just wrong man you're so wrong i
mean he's still yelling at him for a
while to catch her just kind of standing
there taking it all in like thanks coach
i'm listening looks like i'm not
listening but i am listening get him
coach get him he's i just watched the
whole play with my own two eyes
and you're wrong
you're wrong
i think he's gonna go through the
motions here he's like that's just
[ __ ]
is i'm standing right here and then the
ball i catch the ball
boom
play
so you throw me out
yeah he got ejected
bummer time for him
and then at the end here
he's going to let him know
kind of the crux of his argument he says
it's a bang bang call
and it has to be inconclusive so that's
what he's really upset about you can see
his quotes here he says i thought the
play was inconclusive i did not feel it
was conclusive
it's redundant dude even if they don't
call it obstruction right away i would
have felt the same way so i would have
said you cannot change it where it is
non-obstruction i thought it was too
close to tell i don't agree with that
call and i am entitled to my opinion
just like the umpires are entitled to
just make whatever call they want i
watched it on replay just like they did
i know the rule i have the rule
highlighted in my rule book i'd call
bull spit on that
i think he highlighted it after the game
just to be able to say that we studied
the rules
i didn't agree with it
i didn't think there was enough to show
to have it overturned they are just
saying he was set up too early in the
way of the plate i guess it doesn't
matter we won which is true they came
back
look they get out of that inning the
first pitch of the bottom of the eighth
this dude goes deep to tie the game and
nothing matters it's all washed away and
then later in the game north carolina in
the bottom of the 10th with the bases
loaded they put one in the left field
and no one's throwing anyone out
now they win so it doesn't matter that
guy's doing a funky run
look at the arms on 22 here
what is that
seems fun
look at those arms
is that how he runs i don't think so i
think he's having fun
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