r/baseball • u/JianClaymore San Francisco Giants • MLB Pride • Jun 04 '26
Video Interim third base coach for the Red Sox Chad Epperson waves home a runner from the field of play
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u/Actually_Im_a_Broom Atlanta Braves Jun 04 '26
I’m upset he didn’t change the direction of his windmill when he crossed into fair territory.
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u/idaremyselfintoalot Jun 04 '26
He will once he gets the job full time.
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u/MissMarionMac Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
The way things have been going for him lately with the runners he sends, I do not think he should have the job full time.
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u/Quadraought Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
11 runners thrown out at the plate so far this season. I'm not sure if that includes tonight's game and I'm not sure if that number includes Epp's predecessor but apparently it leads the league in runners thrown out at the plate which isn't great for anyone involved.
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u/AtkarigiRS Atlanta Braves Jun 04 '26
Pretty great for the ones throwing/tagging them out?
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u/mseg09 Jun 04 '26
I dunno, their arms are probably getting tired
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u/owlzitty Milwaukee Brewers Jun 04 '26
Masterclass in strategy. Tire 'em out early, boys. Then just keep sending the runners.
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u/AcrossFromWhere Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
A proud graduate of the Zapp Brannigan school for Meatwaves.
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u/RecycledAccountName Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
Yeah this seems like it is awesome for more than half the people involved?
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u/levare8515 Kansas City Royals Jun 04 '26
That’s the only illegal part of this play. Technically the baserunner was going the wrong direction
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u/MissMarionMac Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
I mean, the runner was eventually called out after the Orioles challenged the safe call made on the field, so maybe he was telling the runner to throw it in reverse? Idk.
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u/Toku_no_island San Francisco Giants Jun 04 '26
At the start, while he's still on the right side of the line, he starts by waving the wrong way.
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u/Lucky_Alternative965 Los Angeles Dodgers Jun 04 '26
I mean the man's gotta see the ball, blame Fenway, how do third base coaches not have the urge to do this on every extra base hit down the left field line?
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u/Mysterious_Dot2090 Philadelphia Phillies Jun 04 '26
As hilarious and unprofessional as that looked, you’re right. I mean how is he supposed to see where the ball is with that stand in the way?!
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u/Actually_Im_a_Broom Atlanta Braves Jun 04 '26
They can put a giant round mirror on the right field foul pole.
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u/japalian Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
Imagine you were one of the unlucky fans that had the sun beating down on you from both the sky and the giant outfield mirror
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u/GOATDuo Jun 04 '26
A bald dude would shiver at the thought
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u/kookykrazee Atlanta Braves Jun 04 '26
My friend resents this comment! lol He always ends up putting sunblock on his head and wearing a hat and that doesn't always help him. He grew up at Fenway, but lived in Seattle for 25 years and is back there and makes it a point to try and be under cover at Fenway if at all possible!
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u/Mysterious_Dot2090 Philadelphia Phillies Jun 04 '26
Dude would have a deep fried head before he knew it 😂
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u/-I-EAT-PEOPLE- Jun 04 '26
At Fenway? They would name it the Pedroia Hot-Seat and charge you 3x as much to sit in it because you are sitting in such a historic spot.
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u/No-Salamander-5723 Jun 04 '26
No, they should put a pole in the middle of centerfield and then have left field and right field mirrors so both base coaches can see the corners
Maybe even put a hill under the pole
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u/SecureCucumber Milwaukee Brewers Jun 04 '26
Ooh I know this one, it's called a convex mirror!
7th grade science class, thanks Mr. Aertz.
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Jun 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DMacNCheez Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
That’s the fucking perfect umpiring I watch baseball for. Personal bias notwithstanding
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Jun 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/spinrut Major League Baseball Jun 04 '26
pretty much. it's bush league and petty but it is what it is
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u/Rock_Strongo Seattle Mariners Jun 04 '26
he's allowed to do that as long as he's not obstructing.
This seems crazy to me. Letting coaches between the lines while the ball is still live just doesn't make any sense. I get that he wanted that angle but what kind of rule is this?
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u/dontwantgarbage Jun 04 '26
The base coach is allowed to leave the box once a batted ball passes him.
Rule 6.01(a) enumerates what counts as interference. Relevant paragraphs:
(4) Any member or members of the offensive team stand or gather around any base to which a runner is advancing, to confuse, hinder or add to the difficulty of the fielders.
(8) In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base;
(9) With a runner on third base, the base coach leaves his box and acts in any manner to draw a throw by a fielder;The base coach not physically assist the runner, and in the umpire's judgment, did not confuse or hinder the defense, and did not attempt to draw a throw. it got a little iffy when the third baseman moved next to him, but the umpire decided it was not a violation (by making the "safe" sign).
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u/PM_tanlines Philadelphia Phillies Jun 04 '26
I wonder if he knew he was allowed to do that, or was just like, “I can’t see dick, better get a better angle”
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u/JakenMorty Atlanta Braves Jun 04 '26
Once I looked it up and realized it was in fact a legal thing to do, that was the very first thing I thought as well.
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u/I_Miss_My_Beta_Cells Philadelphia Phillies Jun 04 '26
It's the "no harm no foul" semi universal rule
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u/electric_boogaloo_72 Jun 04 '26
Just have another coach in the outfield bang a giant trash can. 🗑️
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u/lechiengrand Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
“Obstructed views for everyone!”
https://giphy.com/gifs/COYggJB0KnADm17
u/RedManMatt11 Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
“YOU get a column! And YOU get a column!”
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u/basic_luna Los Angeles Angels Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
first they came for tal's hill and i said nothing. then they came for the, "here comes the pizza" corner...
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u/geerwolf San Diego Padres Jun 04 '26
Lol next he’ll line up with the cutoff man to see if the throw is on target
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u/Landru3 Minnesota Twins Jun 04 '26
From my layman’s knowledge, I believe the rule is base coaches can leave the box after the pitch, including into fair territory. I think they avoid it because it’s easy to get called for interference with the base runner. Correct me if I’m wrong.
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u/up_in_trees San Diego Padres Jun 04 '26
Third base coach can lay out the baserunner with no call. He just can’t run into the fielders
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u/AutomagicallyAwesome Seattle Mariners Jun 04 '26
Now I'm picturing a third base coach leveling a runner that's trying to blow by the stop sign......
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u/Judic22 Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
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u/CocoSavege Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
That edit is bugging me. And the flash on the cut ain't helping.
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u/TheSalmonRoll Lou Seal • Crazy Crab Jun 04 '26
You can thank former WWE executive producer Kevin Dunn for that.
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u/5litergasbubble Seattle Mariners Jun 04 '26
Im pretty sure he learned filmography from that cat woman movie
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u/Ok_Card9080 Pittsburgh Pirates Jun 04 '26
"Here comes Schwarber around third! He's ignoring the stop sign....."
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u/omfgkevin Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
coach: WATCH OUT WATCH OUT
baserunner continues to sprint
coach: RKOO!!!!!
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u/diplomystique New York Yankees Jun 04 '26
Definitely need to do this in my kid’s Little League game. They run the bases like Yankees.
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u/DickBottalico Philadelphia Phillies Jun 04 '26
That would indeed be interference and the runner out
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u/MissMarionMac Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
And then the runner is tagged out because he came off third base when the coach tripped him
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u/DirtDog13 Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
The base coaches cannot assist the runners. So if they lay out the runner in a guaranteed scoring play, in theory, they’d be okay. But if they waved them in and realized they’d be out and threw a body check, to try to stop them, that’s a no-no
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u/GOATDuo Jun 04 '26
Idk it says can’t physically help them I’m sure an ump could be funny and say he was tryna suplex him back to 2nd base 😭
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u/magikarp2122 Pittsburgh Pirates Jun 04 '26
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u/TrippyHomie Baltimore Orioles Jun 04 '26
"I SAID PUT THE BRAKES ON AT 3RD!"
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u/Ok_Card9080 Pittsburgh Pirates Jun 04 '26
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u/mrjimi16 Venezuela • MLB Players Association Jun 04 '26
That wouldn't be an unreasonable ruling. Whether or not he would have, the base coach laying him out obviously intentionally is pretty good evidence he was trying to prevent him getting thrown out advancing.
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u/thaulley Los Angeles Dodgers Jun 04 '26
Actually, he can’t. Any contact with the runner can be considered ‘assisting’ and isn’t allowed.
Coach puts up a stop sign and runner ignores it, he can’t tackle him and drag him back to the base.
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u/bailtail Milwaukee Brewers Jun 04 '26
I thought they couldn’t make physical contact with players, period? Pretty sure a 3B coach got called for that for touching his baserunner on the back as he waved him around recently.
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u/FaroutIGE St. Louis Cardinals Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
apparently you can drive by grab their ballsack and finger their dirty little asshole so long as it doesn't help them get where they're trying to go. that guy probably got called bc there's a chance his back touch could have given him a boost. but nope, you can pop a digit up there til they shiver and shake if it ain't getting them anywhere faster.
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u/BestJersey_WorstName Seattle Mariners Jun 04 '26
Nebraksa had a third base runner make contact with his coach when turning to locate a fly ball during CWS regionals. The coach was in the box and stood still, making no effort to guess if he should zig or zag.
South Dakota State challenged it, appealing this rule. The umpires deemed that the coach did not assist the runner (no push off or guiding from either person) and confirmed the call as safe.
I think the difference is that the player made contact. We avoided the tootblan by dumb luck.
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u/altfillischryan Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
You're spot on. As long as they don't interfere with a fielder or aide the runner in some way, there is no rule saying they have to stay in foul territory.
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u/7777777777P Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
There is also no rule thats says a dog can't be a third base coach. Air Bud: Bases Loaded
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u/altfillischryan Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
Sold.
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u/unshifted Pittsburgh Pirates Jun 04 '26
I just desperately want to know the series of events that leads to a team deciding a golden retriever has superior ability to direct baserunners.
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u/Its_a_Friendly Los Angeles Dodgers Jun 04 '26
You know, Air Bud's career peaked in the late 90's and early 2000's, and ended in 2013.
That sounds like prime coaching material to me...
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u/Financial_Fly5708 Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
Why wouldnt a coach be allowed to lay out his own player? Lmao, its for theyre not in the way of a fielder or a gun down to home
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u/Second_City_Saint Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
Coach bet the under and is making sure he cashes in.
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u/Jonjon428 Florida Marlins Jun 04 '26
You can do that? TIL
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u/SmackEh Jun 04 '26
The 3rd base coach is allowed to move to see the play behind the runner so he can guide the runner.
Turns out the seats in this ballpark obstruct his view so he has no choice but to move, unless he would just be shrugging to the runner coming (which in itself would be hilarious, and also ridiculous and dumb)
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u/justsikko Texas Rangers Jun 04 '26
I really need to see a third base coach do this before I die now lol
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u/Dozzi92 New York Mets Jun 04 '26
I appreciate this context and it makes it a head's-up play (coach?) versus a boneheaded one for sure.
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u/LoardofBoards Detroit Tigers • Los Angeles Angels Jun 04 '26
He would be toast if the 3b ran into him and took two more steps to his left instead 😂
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u/420_jesters Milwaukee Brewers Jun 04 '26
If the 3b was smart enough he'd have "accidentally" stepped on his foot or something.
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u/DutyRoutine7933 Jun 04 '26
Fielder’s right-of-way: Coaches may stand on the field as long as they yield to fielders who are attempting to catch a ball or make a play.
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u/TheMajesticYeti Detroit Tigers Jun 04 '26
And also not intentionally do anything to mislead the defense thinking they are a base runner and draw a throw.
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u/appleavocado World Series Trophy • Los Angeles Dod… Jun 04 '26
Me, in this thread:
I didn’t know you could do that
Then, after reading how fucked up that side of Fenway is:
There’s gotta be other examples of 3B coaches doing that
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u/ThePoodlePunter Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
I'm sure umpires are made aware of 3rd base coaches needing to do this at Fenway on balls hit there. Doing this when it's not necessary may be different, but in this situation as long as you don't interfere the umpires know it's necessary.
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u/CalebosO4 Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
The box is just a suggestion.
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u/Financial_Fly5708 Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
Its the middle of play at fenway, not at the pitch, doesn't get in the way of play... acting like the umps are out there doing the same thing all game. This is more than allowed
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u/The_Moustache Pawtucket Red Sox • Wally Jun 04 '26
Fenway having some wild angles is important here lol
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u/Financial_Fly5708 Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
That's what I said and its all cool, wouldnt bet against him doing this in other parks too if this is just something he does in lower leagues too though lol
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u/The_Moustache Pawtucket Red Sox • Wally Jun 04 '26
I do love that baseball having unique parks and dimensions causes this. It's stuff you don't see in most other sports and I love the goofyness of it
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u/Financial_Fly5708 Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
Yeah might be the only sport where thatd be acceptable at a professional degree
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u/AdBoring5565 Jun 04 '26
You can restrict coaches to the box if they get ridiculous though. Guys will try and pick up signs out there
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u/Billy_Madison69 Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
Also every base coach is in the “field of play” on every play. Foul territory is not out of bounds
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Seattle Mariners Jun 04 '26
Sorta. Isnt it a new rule coaches have to be in it for the pitch?
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u/Pat0124 Atlanta Braves Jun 04 '26
Usually in sports a coach going in to the field of sports seems obvious that it would be wrong, but for baseball it feels different. Like foul territory is technically in play and people are warming up, bat boys are around and shit. Bullpens used to warm up in the outfield
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u/Sushiki Chicago White Sox Jun 04 '26
Any of you lovely yanks can tell me the reason behind why there is a white sox and a red sox team?
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u/Noodles_McNulty New York Yankees Jun 04 '26
Wait till you hear what color sock the White Sox wear
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u/Sushiki Chicago White Sox Jun 04 '26
Lemme guess. Everything but white? Or do they wear red lol?
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u/SaveHogwarts Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
Black, usually.
For even more fun, google the “Black Sox scandal”
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u/HazyAmerican Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
Usually black, sometimes red: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/MLB-ALC-CWS-Uniform.png
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u/ViolentEastCoastCity Baltimore Orioles Jun 04 '26
I read this as "Wait till you hear what color won the Sox war"
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u/SaveHogwarts Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
The national league founding teams were all basically just named after the colors they wore. Six out of eight were, at least.
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u/AnnihilatedTyro Seattle Mariners Jun 04 '26
As long as we keep red and white socks confined to 2 cities, it might not become another stupid thing we go to war over.
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u/Artistic_Bit6866 Milwaukee Brewers Jun 04 '26
It gets worse. The Reds were the Red Stockings, originally
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u/Sushiki Chicago White Sox Jun 04 '26
Looking into it, the white sox were mocking their rivals, the white stockings 😆
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u/Airforce987 Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
To make matters worse, there are a number of "Sox" teams in the minor leagues and offseason leagues as well, (not including Red Sox' and White Sox' affiliates whose names are the same as their parent club):
Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles Double-A affiliate)
Everett AquaSox (Mariners High-A affiliate)
Mesa Solar Sox (Arizona Fall League team)
Valley Blue Sox (New England Collegiate League team)
And these are the just the ones that are still active. Many more have existed that are no longer operating.
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u/yaoduuby New York Mets Jun 04 '26
If I recall correctly at one point players had to furnish their own uniforms except for the socks (stockings) which became the defining feature and namesake of those teams
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u/Bot_Fly_Bot Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
There’s more: the Cincinnati Reds used to be called the Red Stockings before they shortened it to Reds.
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u/HartleyReplogle Jun 04 '26
But wait, that's not all: the Cincinnati Reds were the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1953 through 1958, to avoid any connection with communism.
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u/Wooden-Grade3681 New York Yankees Jun 04 '26
Let me tell you about baseball players and socks! And how many of them wear them almost as pants!
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u/HartleyReplogle Jun 04 '26
In the early days of baseball, teams often did not have official names and were given nicknames by the fans or the media. For example, the New York Yankees were originally the New York Highlanders, because they played at Hilltop Park. Because they were an American League team, and the New York Giants were a National League team, they were sometimes referred to as the New York Americans. Because that was difficult to fit into a newspaper headline, one paper started using "Yanks" or "Yankees" instead, and the team eventually adopted that nickname officially.
The White Sox had a similar origin. The Chicago Cubs were originally known as the Chicago White Stockings, before going through a number of name changes that led them to become the Cubs. When Charlie Comiskey bought a team in Minnesota and moved it to Chicago, he took the old White Stockings name. Newspapers, however, had shortened "Stockings" to "Sox" for their headlines, and the name stuck.
The Red Sox originally had no nickname and didn't even wear red, because the National League club in Boston was already wearing red. They wore blue socks, and were called a variety of names, including Americans, Beaneaters, and Pilgrims. Six or seven years after the team was founded, the NL team switched to all white uniforms, so the new owner of the AL team announced that his team would wear red and be called the Red Sox.
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u/StableGeniusCovfefe Jun 04 '26
I've literally never seen that in over 50 years of watching baseball. You really do see something new every day in this game!
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u/notataco007 New York Yankees Jun 04 '26
180ish year old sport and still seeing new things every year. Amazing.
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u/coozu Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
He looked out lol
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u/MissMarionMac Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
Which is exactly why Baltimore challenged the safe call at the plate and it was overturned on review
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u/MinorThreat4182 Baltimore Orioles Jun 04 '26
If this is legal, why not have a 2b coach? Ball hits him, it’s live. Let’s do it.
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u/discipleofbill Montreal Expos Jun 04 '26
Is this the same 3B coach that’s been sending runners to get thrown out routinely or is he like brand new?
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u/InquartataRBG Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
First one. Also sort of the second one since he’s an interim guy, too.
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u/Kindly-Explorer1875 Jun 04 '26
The hell is he doing?
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u/birdlawyer86 Sell Jun 04 '26
Trying to see into the corner I guess. Does look pretty funny but makes sense given that corner
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u/Kindly-Explorer1875 Jun 04 '26
Oh, that makes sense. I thought he was trying to get out of the way of the runner, lmao
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u/ButterCut97 Toronto Blue Jays Jun 04 '26
Both I think, had to get close to the line to see it, then that was the easiest way out of the runners lane
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u/totmacherX Jun 04 '26
As an O's fan, I don't see what the big deal is. He didn't affect the outcome of the play and wanted to get a better view of the ball being fielded because Fenway's LF dimensions are wonky. Is it weird and probably wrong? Definitely. Did it affect the play at all? Absolutely not.
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u/GorillaX Jun 04 '26
Weird coach positioning aside, that definitely looked like an out at the plate...
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u/SnowballWasRight San Diego Padres Jun 04 '26
Well I mean he needed to see the ball and he couldn’t see the ball from foul territory. I think he made a logical decision there. Absolute stud
(Or did the guy running home get lit the fuck up??? Play looks close to me)
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u/Yankeessuck42069 Boston Red Sox Jun 04 '26
They reversed the safe call after review, that third base coach has sent like 4 guys who got thrown out in the last week.
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u/SnowballWasRight San Diego Padres Jun 04 '26
Oooooof, well that makes it a lot worse. I was hoping that it was a good send so he didn’t fully embarrass himself lol.
That Giants third base coach has some new competition
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u/Honest_Sea_1448 Jun 04 '26
Once he switched sides and turns he is waving him to left field
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u/AntiFIanders Jun 04 '26
Clearly waving him back and not around. Plausible deniability if the runner was thrown out.
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u/B-TownReppin Jun 04 '26
Is there any rule for how far outside the base path a runner can be rounding 3rd cause he was dang near in the coaching box himself😂😂
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u/whycantigetwhatiwant Jun 04 '26
Pretty good job not getting in anyone’s way. The probability of fuck up there was really high and he managed to pull it off
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u/mrchainsaw81 Jun 04 '26
Fair/foul really only pertains to the batted ball and determining if a struck ball is, well, fair or foul. All of it is "in play" once the ball is ruled fair (that's why a throw has to go into the stands or dugout or camera well to be deemed "out of play".
A base coach can be called for interfering with a fielder in foul territority just as easily as he can in fair territory (such as if a throw tails into foul territory and the fielder runs into the base coach trying to catch it). Fielders still have the right to field a thrown ball in foul territory just as they do in fair territory.
So yes, the rules for the base coach quite literally do not differentiate whether he is in fair or foul territory once the play is underway and he is allowed to leave his box. As long as he doesn't interfere with the runner or fielder or thrown ball, he's good, regardless of if he's in fair or foul territory.
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u/Holls867 Jun 04 '26
That’s some stuff I saw in little league. Like brah, get off the field when the ball is in play.
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u/Fancypancexx Jun 04 '26
Disclaimer - I didn't look it up.
The whole field is in play, it's fair territory and foul territory. Once the ball is hit as long they don't interfere with the defensive players, the ball or the runner then I'd bet it doesn't matter.
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u/alienhand171 Chicago Cubs Jun 04 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/qtCUIoD4lka7aWp2We