Only two games in MLB history have ended on a catcher’s interference call.
The first was more than 50 years ago on Aug. 1, 1971, in a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.
The second was on Monday night, when the Boston Red Sox suffered a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
The walk-off catcher’s interference happened after Jordan Hicks loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 10th inning. With the count at 1-2 on Edmundo Sosa, Hicks threw a slider off the plate that Sosa attempted to swing at.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Sosa’s bat struck the glove of catcher Carlos Narváez.
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The pitch was called a ball by home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson challenged it. After a replay review, the call on the field was overturned and changed to catcher’s interference, automatically awarding Sosa first base.
That forced in the winning run, sending Boston to a bizarre and frustrating 3-2 defeat. It was the team’s seventh catcher’s interference this year, which leads MLB.
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The fluky ending capped a tense game that featured dominant pitching performances on both sides. Walker Buehler tossed seven innings of two-run ball for the Red Sox, while Zack Wheeler struck out 10 over six strong innings.
Boston had its chances, but ultimately failed to deliver the big hit, going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men on base.
The loss continues a concerning trend for the Red Sox, who are now 5-10 in extra-innings games this year, including 0-7 on the road. They’ve struggled in one-run games as well, going 12-20.
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Boston has lost three of its four games since the All-Star Break as its bats have gone cold, scoring just nine runs during that stretch. The Red Sox will try to bounce back on Tuesday night behind Richard Fitts (1-3, 4.28 ERA), who will face Cristopher Sánchez (8-2, 2.50 ERA).
Featured image via Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
