The Baltimore Orioles held on to beat the Chicago White Sox 8-6 on Thursday night, with the game ending on a controversial runner interference call. The crew chief said the umpire had no choice but to make the call, but MLB says that may not be the case.
With two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Benintendi popped up. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson caught the ball — umpires had called the infield fly rule — for the second out, then third-base umpire Junior Valentine ruled that Andrew Vaughn interfered with Henderson on the play.
After the game, crew chief Adrian Johnson said there is no discretion when a baserunner appears to make incidental contact with a fielder — even if the play results in a defensive out.
Brutal ending to this Orioles-White Sox game. 😬
(🎥: @NBCSWhiteSox)pic.twitter.com/mRL319faFT
— theScore (@theScore) May 24, 2024
“If he hinders the fielder in the attempt to field a batted ball, intent is not required and it’s interference,” Johnson said. “When you see the interference, you call it.”
Rule 6.01(a) seems to support that: “A runner who is adjudged to have hindered a fielder who is attempting to make a play on a batted ball is out whether it was intentional or not.”
But a source told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers that MLB reached out to the White Sox after the game to say the umpires do have discretion on that play and that interference didn’t have to be called.
“It was a big surprise,” said Vaughn, who was the runner at second and ruled out. “I don’t feel like he was deterred from making a play. It was a high pop-up. We were all reading it. As a runner, I’ve got to read it and make sure I can get back to the bag.”
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol argued vehemently with umpires at the conclusion of the stunning final sequence.
There certainly was confusion, and the play ended the rally for the White Sox, who had scored four runs in the ninth.
“I felt like we escaped there,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
The White Sox, who have won only once in their past seven games, will try again to gain traction during their seven-game homestand that began Thursday night. The Orioles halted a season-worst three-game losing streak by prevailing in the series opener.
On Friday, right-hander Corbin Burnes (4-2, 2.56 ERA) will start for the Orioles, going for back-to-back victories after holding the Seattle Mariners without an earned run in six innings of Baltimore’s 6-3 win Sunday. He struck out 11 for the second time this season.
“I’m happy with how my stuff looks,” Burnes said. “Happy how the ball is coming out. Can’t really complain about it.”
Right-hander Chris Flexen (2-4, 5.48 ERA) will be on the mound for Chicago, trying to bounce back from Sunday’s rough outing against the New York Yankees. He allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings in Chicago’s 7-2 loss.
“It’s just about executing pitches,” Flexen said.
In three career starts against Baltimore, Flexen is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. The loss came in August when he was a member of the Colorado Rockies.
Information from The Associated Press and Field Level Media was used in this report.