WASHINGTON (AP) - Based on what he remembers being told about the new slide rule in spring training, Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker is convinced that an automatic double play should have wiped out the Detroit Tigers’ go-ahead run Tuesday night.
Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said the same thing.
And second baseman Daniel Murphy did, too.
“From my understanding, the rule is that you need to make an attempt to touch the bag, which on the replay I think it was shown that he did not. I also think that with the rule, that you need to try to maintain the bag, which I don’t think he did, either,” Murphy said.
“I think everybody saw the replay, and with the rules that we’ve been given by Major League Baseball,” Murphy added, “I thought it was warranted as an illegal slide.”
Andrew Romine drove in a pivotal run on a play that withstood a replay challenge, Miguel Cabrera tacked on a pinch-hit RBI right afterward, and Detroit overcame Zimmerman’s two homers to beat Washington 5-4.
The Tigers trailed 3-2 before scoring three runs in the sixth off Joe Ross (3-2). After James McCann’s RBI single tied it, Romine came up with the bases loaded and one out. His grounder led to a forceout at second base, but Romine beat shortstop Danny Espinosa’s throw to first in a bid for a double play.
Because Anthony Gose’s slide was not near the bag at second, Washington hoped Romine would be called out on review, based on this season’s rule governing how a baserunner must slide. But Gose did not make contact with Espinosa, and the play stood as called on the field.
“The way our luck has been going with the replay recently, I had one finger crossed in my back pocket,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “The rule says it has to alter the play or have an effect on the play, and it didn’t seem to have an effect on the turn of the double play.”
Baker said he was not aware that for the automatic double play to be invoked, the runner must not only fail to slide to - and stay on - the bag at second, but he also must hinder the throw to first base, which Gose was judged not to have done.
Indeed, Romine was not completely sure whether the go-ahead run would be allowed or a double play would be called.
“It was 50-50,” Romine said. “Me and (Tigers first base coach Omar Vizquel) and Zim were standing at first, kind of going, ’I have no idea. Nobody knows what the call is going to be.’ We were just kind of guessing, really.”
As it turned out, this one went the Tigers’ way, helping them end a seven-game losing streak.
Given the way things have been going for his team lately, Ausmus was asked whether the outcome of that particular play was the sort of break the Tigers needed.
“It helped,” Ausmus said. “I did tell Gose: ’Don’t ever slide like that again.’”
Cabrera then produced a bloop single to add an insurance run and make it 5-3.
There were, to be sure, other pivotal moments in this game.
For example, Bryce Harper came up as the potential go-ahead run in the ninth, but right-handed closer Francisco Rodriguez intentionally walked the lefty-hitting, reigning NL MVP to put two men on with one out for righty-hitting cleanup batter Zimmerman, he of a two-run shot in the fifth off Michael Fulmer (2-1) and a solo shot in the seventh off reliever Drew VerHagen.
“I just felt better righty-on-righty at that point,” Ausmus explained.
It worked.
Rodriguez struck out Zimmerman swinging, then got the .402-hitting Murphy to fly out to center for his eighth save.
In the eighth, with Alex Wilson pitching for Detroit, Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was on first with two outs when pinch-hitter Clint Robinson - who ended Monday’s game with a homer in the bottom of the ninth - hit a double to center. Ramos tried to score but was thrown out at home on a relay from center fielder Gose to shortstop Romine to catcher James McCann.
“That was a heck of a relay. That ball was way the heck out there. They had to make two perfect relay throws to the plate. You’ve got to give them credit,” Baker said. “You can’t blame my third base coach. I’ll take that one for not pinch-running for him.”
UP NEXT
Former teammates and current friends, Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (3-2, 4.60 ERA) will face Tigers RHP Jordan Zimmermann (5-1, 1.10 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale.
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