Have you ever seen a play on the field that leaves you yelling at the TV because of a strange call made by an ump?
Who am I kidding? We’ve all been there. Whether it’s extremely bad strike calls, moderately bad strike calls, or odd plays such as a fan placing a ball into a player's glove for an out, there’s always going to be a call that sends die-hard sports fans into blind fury.
One such odd event just happened in a highly competitive game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals. With the score tied at zero in the top of the 8th, Willson Contreras stepped up to the plate against Caleb Ferguson with runners on first and second with two outs. In a 2-2 count, Contreras got under a fastball, popping it just feet from the plate. What came next had Cardinals’ fans outraged and appalled while Pirates’ fans couldn’t be happier with the result.
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The play
Pirates still get the out after a MASSIVE collision between Endy Rodriguez and Joey Bart pic.twitter.com/Cc8QodFRII
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 9, 2025
Pirates’ catcher Joey Bart tracked the ball, taking just a few steps down the third base line. Meanwhile, Cardinals’ second baseman Thomas Saggese, who stood on second when the at-bat began, rounded third headed for home on what appeared like a routine fly ball. As Bart looked up at the ball that was just a split-second from landing in his glove, first baseman Endy Rodriguez came charging and seemingly sacked Bart. The ball glanced off Rodriguez’s glove and rolled away.
After a brief tumble, Bart wound up on top of Rodriguez. Ke'Bryan Hayes, who had ran in from third base, stood in front of Saggese. With a two-man pileup and Hayes blocking him from the plate, Saggese nearly stopped in his tracks. Hayes quickly went for the ball as it rolled towards the plate. Saggese scrambled around Bart and Rodriguez. Hayes, who had already secured the ball, reached to apply the tag. Saggese, making a serpentine move to avoid the tag, was unsuccessful. The call was out. But wait a minute! Doesn’t this play violate the rules?
The rules
To start, there is the obstruction argument. The MLB glossary has this to say about obstructing the runner:
“Obstruction describes 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. If a play is being made on the obstructed baserunner, the ball is ruled dead and the umpire can place all runners on the base he determines they would have reached without the obstruction.”
While an accident, the Bart-Rodgriguez collision did impede the runner. The argument could be made they were “in the process of fielding the ball,” still, it would seem the process had ended when the ball rolled away. But as per the last tail-end of the quote, the decision then comes down to the discretion of the umpire; and in this play, the ball was never ruled dead. The umpire in this case, Lance Barksdale, motioned to continue the play as the ball rolled away. Was this the right call? Or perhaps is the obstruction argument unnecessary due to the infield fly rule?
The Infield fly rule
The infield fly rule was developed to spare runners from being unfairly thrown out. It ensures that no infielder can intentionally drop a flyball while runners are held on their bases, then throw out the lead or multiple runners.
However, with two outs, the infield fly rule becomes superfluous and is not in effect. So, the only rule in play here is obstruction. And again, this comes down to the umpire. Do Cardinals’ fans have a reason to gripe? We’ll leave it as maybe. But what makes the decision really sting was the end result.
The Pirates won the game by a one-run margin, 2-1, on a Joey Bart walk-off single in extra innings. For Cardinals fans, losing to a division competitor in this manner really burns.