The Rays and their fans aren't going to want to hear it, but the umpires were right.
When Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Red Sox and Rays is discussed for years to come, one play is going to be surfaced among all others. That would be Kevin Kiermaier's ground-rule double in the 13th inning.
With two outs, the game deadlocked at 4-4, Yandy Diaz at first base, Kiermaier faced off with Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta. The Rays' centerfielder tore into a 3-2 slider.
With rightfielder Hunter Renfroe unable to track down the blast, the ball hit the right field wall to seemingly seal a lead for the Rays. But the ball bounced up off of Renfroe's leg and over the wall, immediately sending Diaz back to third and keeping Kiermaier at second.
So, what happened? After the Red Sox' 6-4 win (yes, Christian Vazquez made them pay with a walk-off, two-run over in the next half-inning), crew chief Sam Holbrook came to the interview room to explain why the call stood.
"It's in the rule book. It's a ground-rule double," Holbrook said. "There's no discretion that the umpires have. First of all, thank you all. I really appreciate you letting us come in here and explain the rule. A lot of times that doesn't happen and things get messed up, but I really appreciate it.
"If you don't mind, what I'd like to do, this is our umpire manual, and what I'd like to do it just quote from the manual. It's item 20 in the manual, which is, balls deflected out of play, which is in reference to official baseball Rule 5.06(b)(4)(H). It says, if a fair ball not in flight is deflected by a fielder and goes out of play, the award is two bases from the time of the pitch.
"So in this play right here, the ball was no longer in flight because it hit the front part of the wall. So you cannot catch the ball off the wall. The wall is basically an extension of the playing field, the front part of the wall is. So once that ball hit the wall, it was no longer in flight. Now the ball bounces off the wall and is deflected out of play off of a fielder, that's just a ground-rule double.
"There's no, he would have done this, would have done that, it's just flat out in the rule book, it's a ground-rule double."
The fortunate twist of fate for the Red Sox ultimately proved pivotal, thanks in large part to Pivetta stranding both runners with a strikeout of Mike Zunino. That, of course, led to Vazquez's blast.
When asked if he thought the rule should be changed, Holbrook was equally as definitive as his first answer.
"I like it," the umpire said. "It's cut-and-dried from an umpire's standpoint. It's been that way ever since I came in the game. I don't see any need to change it."
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