Red Sox score bizarre run on sacrifice fly without tagging up from 3rd base

TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Seigler scored from third base on a sacrifice fly Monday night — without ever tagging up.

Needless to say, that left everyone in Toronto a little confused.

Seigler scored Boston’s only run in a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays on a chaotic, inning-ending double play that resulted in a 17-minute delay trying to sort out the whole thing.

While there was only one out when Ceddanne Rafaela hit a flyball to center field in the seventh, the scoreboard showed two outs. The ball was still in the air when Seigler headed toward the plate and Nick Sogard took off from first base.

When the ball was caught and the Blue Jays eventually tossed it to first to double up Sogard, that was the third out and it appeared Toronto still led 2-0 as players headed to the dugout.

That’s when the umpires started discussing the bizarre play. There were separate conversations with both managers before conferring with MLB’s replay center for a rules check on what crew chief Chris Guiccione said was a timing play.

In the end, because Seigler crossed home plate before Sogard was called out at first, and Toronto never appealed the runner leaving third base early, the run was awarded to the Red Sox.

Even some Blue Jays appeared to think the catch by center fielder Brett Batemen was the third out of the inning. Toronto reliever Simeon Woods Richardson and catcher Brandon Valenzuela both turned their back to the play and were going to the dugout even before second baseman Josh Smith got the ball from Bateman and threw to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB