(670 The Score) The White Sox were on the right side of a controversial call an opportune time Tuesday evening.
Tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth, the White Sox scored the winning run in an eventual 7-6 victory when Rangers catcher Jonah Heim was surprisingly called for a blocking-the-plate violation upon a replay review. The drama started with White Sox infielder Elvis Andrus sprinting home from second base on rookie Zach Remillard’s soft single to left field, where the Rangers’ Travis Jankowski fired a great throw to the plate that just beat Andrus, who was called out on the field. With the play being so close, the White Sox challenged the call, where upon review Andrus was ruled safe – not for beating the throw but because Heim was cited for illegally blocking the plate.
That sent Rangers manager Bruce Bochy into a tizzy, as he got ejected for arguing.
An explanation on MLB.com states this about collisions at home plate: “The catcher is not permitted to block the runner's path to the plate unless he is in possession of the ball, though blocking the path of the runner in a legitimate attempt to receive a throw is not considered a violation. The runner can be ruled safe if the umpire determines the catcher violated this rule.”
On the NBC Sports Chicago broadcast, play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti also referenced another guideline pertaining to the rule, which is that straddling the plate can be considered a violation under the umpire’s discretion.
Even so, both Benetti and color analyst Steve Stone were initially shocked by the call. On the postgame show, analyst Ozzie Guillen called it a “charity” call for the White Sox.
With the win, the White Sox (32-43) clawed within 4.5 games of the AL Central-leading Twins.
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