The official definition of catcher interference reads as follows: “The batter is awarded first base if the catcher (or any other fielder) interferes with him at any point during a pitch.”
During Tuesday night’s National League Wild Card game between the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs, this odd occurrence took place and nearly changed everything about the game.
In the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on first and second, Chicago third baseman Tommy La Stella came in to pinch hit for David Bote. Just two batters before, the Rockies made both a pitcher and catcher change in replacing starter Kyle Freeland with Adam Ottavino and Chris Iannetta with Drew Butera.
With two on and two out, La Stella came to the plate with the Cubs trailing 1-0 when the oddest thing happened and catcher interference was called to the load the bases after it was proven that Butera stuck his glove out a little too much and actually got in the way of La Stella’s bat.
Unfortunately for the Cubs, Jason Heyward was unable to capitalize on the golden situation to tie the game up or potentially take the lead, but heroics from Javier Baez the inning after assured the hometown Cubs fans’ hysteria wasn’t in vein, just a little delayed.
But going back to that catcher interference ruling. It’s a remarkably rare one. In fact, according to Baseball Reference, it was only the 16th such ruling in the Major League post-season since 1903.
Baseball’s a funny, sometimes random game, and sometimes something that rarely ever happens can help determine the outcome of a game. It didn’t happen in this case, but it had the potential to.
This is why we play the games, though. Anything can happen.
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