Incredible moment the ball gets stuck inside Fenway Park light… leaving Red Sox fielder Masataka Yoshida baffled and allowing Royals’ Matt Duffy to run for home (only to be sent back!)
- The ball broke through a scoreboard light on the ‘Green Monster’ at Fenway Park
- Umpires called it a ground rule double, nullifying a run that came home
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The bizarre anatomy of Fenway Park came into play on Wednesday night when a batted ball broke through and landed in one of the lights in the Green Monster’s scoreboard.
In the top of the second inning and with a runner on first base, Kansas City Royals batter Kyle Isbel connected with the ball and sent it deep.
As it flew, Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida leapt up to grab the ball in mid-air – but missed as the ball went over his glove. It broke through one of the red ‘Out’ lights in Fenway’s old-time scoreboard in left field and came to rest there.
It stayed stuck inside the light – leading Yoshida to start looking around for the ball as Royals base runner Matt Duffy, who was on first at the time, ran home.
But after the dust settled – and Yoshida retrieved the ball – Duffy was sent back to third base.
A ball breaking through a scoreboard light led to an interesting ruling in Boston
Outfielder Masataka Yoshida had to dig the ball out of the light in the Green Monster scoreboard in order to try and make any kind of play as Royals runner Matt Duffy scored
That’s because under MLB rules, that constituted a ‘ground rule double’ which automatically entitles both Duffy and Isbel to two bases.
It’s all part of the MLB Rule 5.05, Section a, Subsection 7 which reads, ‘[The batter becomes a runner when:] Any fair ball which, either before or after touching the ground, passes through or under a fence, or through or under a scoreboard, or through any opening in the fence or scoreboard, or through or under shrubbery, or vines on the fence, or which sticks in a fence or scoreboard, in which case the batter and the runners shall be entitled to two bases.’
That meant that Duffy could move up two bases to third base, and Isbel was credited with that double.
Unfortunately for the Royals, they could not advance anyone else home – and Duffy and Isbel were stranded.
This play baffled longtime baseball fans – including legendary Red Sox radio voice Joe Castiglione who said (as told by Jared Carrabis) that in his 41 years of calling games in Boston, ‘he’s never seen this before’.
But umpires called it a ground rule double, leading Duffy (above) to head back to third base
Fenway Park is the oldest baseball stadium in the United States and has been open and in operation since 1912.
The old-time scoreboard in question was installed on the ‘Green Monster’ in 1934 and it remains manually operated to this day – with workers inside updating scores both in the game and elsewhere around the country.
There’s a certain classification of a ground rule double referred to as a ‘home park ground rule double’ that is created to provide for unique playing conditions in specific ballparks.
Fenway has one of those rules. If a ball is hit through a hole in the scoreboard as the scorers working inside the Green Monster are changing numbers, then that batter is given a ground rule double.