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If the runner at second had touched the base with his fingers, he'd have been safe. Since he lifted them and caught the base with his palms, the tag was able to get him in that extra second.
Nope. Heh, heh...he might have gotten his hand in before the tag...but he was out...when you're called out and replayed out...yer out! What's remarkable is surviving two replays...one from each team...and one upheld and the other overturned. I think it was a 10-3 game...didn't matter much.
The Cards had an unusual play ... Pirate pitcher squares to bunt, 3rd baseman comes in as does 1st baseman, SS covers 3rd and 2nd base covers 1st base....all normal. Except Holiday lets the pop up bunt hit the dirt and throws to 2nd ...whooooops he forgot there was no 2nd baseman. Fortuneately the CF was coming in and caught the ball and forced the runner out at 2nd. BTW...isn't this an Infield Fly rule anyway? http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/heads-up-cardinals-record-5-8-forceout-vs-pirates?ymd=20140711&content_id=84147000&vkey=news_mlb
Good question, Terry. I don't think so because the bunt forces the play as opposed to the opportunity to let a pop fly drop in order to force the lead runner and set up a possible double play. That's what the infield fly rule is designed to prevent. There's no time to "scheme" on a bunt play. I read about that 5 to 8 force out. According to what I read, that play may never have been duplicated in the history of the game.
I guess it gets down to the difference between a popup off a bunt, and a full swing popup flyball. Clearly that's what Holiday was thinking in letting it hit the ground going to 2nd to no doubt start a double play.
Ok, even if he forgot the wheel play was in effect....he still had time to stop look and realize that he had probably hung up the runner on 2nd, which was what his intentions were, and then go to 3rd and then 2nd for the double play. They fact that he didn't rememebr that a bunt cannot be counted as IFR on the play, and the bad throw just shows it was a comedy of errors.....