That Oakland sun might be getting to both teams on the diamond on Sunday.
Following a pop-up from Davis Schneider, Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom and Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi collided in foul territory, resulting in an interference play that you certainly don’t see every day.
Was it the bright California sun? The unorthodox setup of the dugouts at Oakland Coliseum? A blend of miscommunication and confusion? Whatever it was, it left players, fans, commentators, and everyone in between scratching their heads and hoping everyone was okay.
It came in the top of the 10th inning with the Blue Jays up to bat. Schneider’s pop-up started to veer towards his team’s dugout and Kikuchi, hoping to get out of the way of the play, instead ran straight into Soderstrom as the first baseman was going for the ball, sending both players to the dirt.
Kikuchi was apologetic after the game, saying he was embarrassed by the incident and forgot about the lack of a dugout railing. He added that there was no intent behind the collision.
“After, I just wanted to create a little hole and hide in it,” he said.
The play would ultimately result in an out for Schneider, with umpires calling it a case of obstruction due to the fielder’s right of way.
Now usually, obstruction is defined as “an act by a fielder, who is not in possession of the ball or in the process of fielding it, that impedes the baserunner’s progress.”
But in this case, seeing as it’s the other way around, it was ruled as a ‘Fielder Right of Way,’ which states that “If any member of the batting team (including the coaches) interferes with a fielder’s right of way to field a batted ball, the batter shall be declared out,” according to the MLB Rulebook.
Another interesting hitch to this, making it such a one-of-one occurrence, is that Oakland Coliseum may be the only ballpark in the majors where you could see this happen.
It’s the only field in MLB without fences on the dugouts, forcing players to sit back on the benches or find any place at all they can lean or sit to watch the game.
With it being a tight contest on Sunday, heading into extras and the Blue Jays putting on their rally caps to score three runs in the 10th, most of the team was on the edge of the dugout, practically stepping onto the field or sitting on things like Gatorade coolers to take in the action.
Kikuchi was standing on the edge, and as soon as the pop fly went up, the pitcher tried to get out of the way by running into the field but didn’t notice Soderstrom running right into his path.
Only in Oakland. A farewell to the Coliseum with a unique play perfect for a unique ballpark.