“I don’t know how to block the board from behind the board”

For years, fans and players alike have complained that no one knows for sure what a catch is in the NFL. It seems like no one knows what blocking the plate means in Major League Baseball either.

Example: A home game in Tuesday’s game between the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox in which the Rangers’ catcher Jonah Heim lined up on the side of home plate, got a perfect throw from Travis Jankowski and Elvis Andrus to tie the game, 6-6.

The White Sox challenged the call — claiming Andrus was safe and Heim was blocking the record — and the New York replay review team quashed it, much to the chagrin of Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who went out and kicked himself out of the game. sent field.

“I’m stunned by that phone call,” Bochy told reporters after the game. “It’s definitely one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen, and it was done through replay. I just don’t get it. I don’t care how many times they try to explain it. You can’t do that in that situation. It is a shame. It’s embarrassing, really.”

Videos from the play show Heim positioning himself slightly behind the plate, and to the side of it. But the New York Replay Review Center determined he broke the rules and issued a statement saying, “The catcher’s initial positioning was illegal, and his subsequent actions while off the ball interfered with and obstructed the path of the runner home.” plate.”

A similar debate arose a night later when Gary Sánchez, the catcher for the San Diego Padres, stepped into the baseline to catch a pitch and applied a tap long before the runner reached home plate — a move that is legal, according to Major League Baseball’s rules – but was also determined by the New York replay squad to have the record blocked. Before the game, there had been two outs in the inning and the San Francisco Giants were leading 1-0 against the Padres. By the time the inning was over, the Giants were leading 4-0 and finished won, 4-2.

Like Bochy the night before, Padres manager Bob Melvin was ejected for arguing over the decision. After the game, he told reporters it was “one of the worst calls I’ve seen this year.”

Before they were managers, Bochy and Melvin were long-time major league catchers, both playing in an era when blocking the plate was seen as a necessary skill.

However, things changed for catchers when collisions at home plate were ruled out in 2014. That decision came after a few high-profile injuries, including one to Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants’ All-Star catcher. The rules apply both to how runners approach the plate and how catchers receive the ball.

However, the text of Rule 6.01(i)(2) indicates that there is some discretion in determining under what circumstances a catcher gets in the way.

Unless the catcher has possession, the catcher cannot block the runner’s path while attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the off-possession catcher blocks the path of the runner, the umpire shall safely call or signal the runner. Notwithstanding the above, it shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) for the catcher to block the runner’s path in a legitimate attempt to service the throw (e.g., in response to the direction, trajectory, or the hop of the incoming pitch, or in response to a pitch coming from a pitcher or an infielder who has withdrawn). In addition, a catcher without possession of the ball shall not be assessed as a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) if the runner could have avoided colliding with the catcher (or another player covering home plate) by sliding.

A note to the rule states that “A catcher is not considered to have violated Rule 6.01(i)(2) unless he has both blocked the plate without possession of the ball (or is not in a legitimate attempt to field the pitch) , and also hindered or impeded the progress of the runner attempting to score.

In Heim’s case, the outfield camera image shows Andrus was able to slide cleanly past the catcher, making it unclear how Heim violated those terms.

It was especially unclear for Heim.

“I asked the referee what I could have done differently,” Heim told reporters. “I lined up on the corners. I even backed up. I don’t know what else to do. It’s disturbing.

“I don’t know how to block the plate from behind the plate.”

If the world ever finds out what makes a catch a catch in the NFL, perhaps the best of minds can solve this mystery.