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Monday, June 22, 2009

MLB: Yanks protest game over lineup snafu

This is messier than the time someone put Ross Moschitto’s name in the starting lineup!

For now, the Marlins are claiming a 6-5 victory over the Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Land Shark Stadium. Whether the score is upheld ultimately will be determined by Major League Baseball.

The Yankees have protested the game due to confusion created by a Marlins’ double-switch in the top of the eighth inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Marlins pinch-hit outfielder Alejandro De Aza for pitcher Renyel Pinto, who was batting ninth. When the inning ended, Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez made a double-switch. Reliever Leo Nunez entered the game, and Chris Coghlan remained in left field.

Nunez threw one pitch to Derek Jeter, a called strike. At that point, Yankees manager Joe Girardi brought to the attention of home plate umpire Tim Timmons that Coghlan was supposed to be out of the game, with De Aza in left field.

...Crew chief Jeff Kellogg told MLB.com after the game that the umpires are filing an incident report to Major League Baseball. He didn’t elaborate on anything specific.

“We’re going to file an incident report, and all that,” Kellogg said. “The protest is over the pitcher should have been removed from the game, or the pitch should not have counted. That’s the protest. Either or. One or the other should have happened.

“It goes to the league, and they will review everything. They will make a determination after that.”

Repoz Posted: June 22, 2009 at 03:24 AM | 22 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
Related News: General, Special Topics, Florida, NY Yankees

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1. Bob T Posted: June 22, 2009 at 03:49 AM (#3227387)

Baseball's rule book covers a lot of eventualities.

But Chris Coghlan and Alejandro de Aza must be eager to be test cases. Like Marbury or Miranda or McCullough.

2. Tom Nawrocki Posted: June 22, 2009 at 03:56 AM (#3227389)

I've read the entire article, and I still don't know exactly what happened here. Did Gonzalez tell the umpires that Coghlan was out of the game, then send him out to leftfield for the top of the eighth?

3. Morally Excellent Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:02 AM (#3227392)

I'm not sure I get it either. It doesn't sound like a double-switch. The way I understand it is:

-De Aza pinch-hits for Pinto, batting ninth, as a "pitcher."

-Nunez "relieves" De Aza.

If it were a double switch, Nunez would replace the LF and De Aza would move to LF, but it seems like that didn't happen, so no double switch.

To me, then, the rule violated is that a new pitcher was announced (De Aza) who didn't throw a pitch.

4. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:06 AM (#3227393)

But everybody violates that "rule" every game in the NL.

5. Morally Excellent Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:08 AM (#3227394)

Yeah, I know, and that's why I don't really get it.

6. Kiko Sakata

Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:10 AM (#3227395)

Did Gonzalez tell the umpires that Coghlan was out of the game, then send him out to leftfield for the top of the eighth?

Yes. I had to read it a couple of times to grasp it. What I don't understand (and I think what Girardi's protesting) is why, apparently, they let him put the new pitcher (who threw a pitch with Coghlan still in the game) in the #1 spot (Coghlan's spot) and Hermida (who replaced Coghlan because DeAza was no longer available) in the #9 spot. The thing is, if I'm reading the box score right, it looks like neither of those spots came up to bat again, so it ended up not mattering if Nunez (the pitcher) was supposed to bat 9th or 1st.

7. Kiko Sakata

Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:13 AM (#3227396)

the rule violated is that a new pitcher was announced (De Aza) who didn't throw a pitch.

I think the rule violated may have been that the person in left field (Coghlan) wasn't in the lineup anymore (replaced by DeAza).

8. Morally Excellent Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:15 AM (#3227402)

9. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: June 22, 2009 at 04:47 AM (#3227408)

I have no idea whether the Yankees will prevail in the protest, but it likely won't matter in the game. Down 6-3 in the top of the eighth is not one that inspires confidence of a victory, and a special trip to Miami to play out the last two innings of a near-certain loss may not be in the team's best interests.

10. Frisco Cali Posted: June 22, 2009 at 05:19 AM (#3227418)

Well, Girardi is an AL manager, and probably doesn't understand how things work in the NL.
(Vying for dumbest post of the year)

11. Best Regards, Larry Mahnken (Dewey is a slacker) Posted: June 22, 2009 at 10:23 AM (#3227443)

Down 6-3 in the top of the eighth is not one that inspires confidence of a victory, and a special trip to Miami to play out the last two innings of a near-certain loss may not be in the team's best interests.

Well, they have an infinitely greater chance to win the game if the protest is upheld, and that one game may be the difference between making the playoffs and going home.

12. willcarrollsux Posted: June 22, 2009 at 12:08 PM (#3227485)

I think the rule violated may have been that the person in left field (Coghlan) wasn't in the lineup anymore (replaced by DeAza).

No, DeAza replaced Pinto, not Coghlan.

The problem is that after the inning ended, the manager (apparently) indicated that the new relief pitcher was replacing Coghlan in the lineup, yet Coghlan went out to left field to play.

Edit: To be clearer, I agree with the first part of your sentence (i.e. the problem was that the person in left field (Coghlan) wasn't in the lineup anymore). I'm just disagreeing that DeAza was the one who replaced him in the lineup. The person who replaced Coghlan in the lineup was the new reliever.

13. Van Lingle Mungo Jerry Posted: June 22, 2009 at 12:43 PM (#3227521)

Also, what's the deal with "Land Shark Stadium"? Is that the name of a company or is someone in Miami just a fan of Chevy Chase?

14. Tom Nawrocki Posted: June 22, 2009 at 12:50 PM (#3227528)

It's named after a new beer being put out by Jimmy Buffett. Buffett bought the naming rights for a whole eight months. After the season, the name will change again.

15. Fred Garvin is a sick f**k, guilty as charged Posted: June 22, 2009 at 12:59 PM (#3227539)

It sounds like if Gonzalez hadn't called it a double-switch, it would be like any other PH situation -- with De Aza PH for Pinto and Nunez coming in to pitch the next inning (batting 9th).

Actually, I'm a bit baffled why Gonzalez would even want to double-switch in the first place. Considering it was the bottom of the 7th and the Marlins had the lead, the odds were that the pitcher's spot wouldn't come around to bat anyway.

16. SoSH U at work Posted: June 22, 2009 at 01:02 PM (#3227546)

Well, they have an infinitely greater chance to win the game if the protest is upheld, and that one game may be the difference between making the playoffs and going home.

Granted. But that doesn't really lift their chances of winning above highly unlikely. And there probably is some minor cost (physically speaking) involved in making a late-season return to Miami for 1 1/2 innings of play. It would help, I suppose, if it could be tied in to a trip to Tampa.

And I'm not criticizing the Yankees for protesting. By all means, that's the proper course of action.

17. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: June 22, 2009 at 01:09 PM (#3227557)

What's to be protested? I'm not entirely clear on the rule here but with batting out of order the infraction only is penalized when the player impacts the game (i.e. bats). This seems similar to the situation with Tampa earlier this year where since there was no benefit the resolution is what the umps decreed (Coghlan and De Aza both out of the game). I think the Yankees would have a better case had they waited until a moment where Coghlan fielded a ball or batted then they could say the Marlins used an ineligible player.

18. Bob Dernier Cri

Posted: June 22, 2009 at 01:12 PM (#3227561)

The problem is that after the inning ended, the manager (apparently) indicated that the new relief pitcher was replacing Coghlan in the lineup, yet Coghlan went out to left field to play

Exactly. The new pitcher replaced Coghlan batting #1, but Coghlan, who had started the game, was still standing in LF. Something had to give.

19. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: June 22, 2009 at 01:16 PM (#3227571)

It could also be a game that is only replayed if necessary based on the final standings.

20. ess eff Posted: June 22, 2009 at 01:32 PM (#3227596)

As I recall, there's precedent for finding that the protesting team is correct about the error but denying the protest anyway as not materially affecting the game's outcome.

21. winnipegwhip Posted: June 22, 2009 at 01:35 PM (#3227599)

Well, they have an infinitely greater chance to win the game if the protest is upheld, and that one game may be the difference between making the playoffs and going home.

Or the fate of one of four teams in the NL East. Future headline - Mets Need Yanks Comeback vs Marlins to Play Tomorrow.

22. willcarrollsux Posted: June 22, 2009 at 02:50 PM (#3227712)

What's to be protested?

The fact that the rules were broken.

I'm not entirely clear on the rule here

Well there you go.

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MLB: Yanks protest game over lineup snafu

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