The NFL struggles with the concept every season: What is a catch? Plays that certainly look like catches are ruled incomplete. Simply put, nobody knows what a catch is. Baseball, though, shouldn’t have that problem.
But during Sunday’s minor league game between Triple-A clubs Sacramento River Cats (Giants) and Oklahoma City Dodgers, we saw a quirk of baseball’s catch rules come into play in a huge way.
With no outs in the fourth inning and nobody on, the Dodgers’ Devin Mann hit a deep fly ball to center field that appeared to be caught on the run in the warning track by Bryce Johnson. It was undeniable: Johnson had the ball in his glove.
What is a catch, anyway?@Dodgers prospect Devin Mann hits a controversial home run on a dropped ball for the @okc_dodgers: https://t.co/LhnCgmuHTa pic.twitter.com/ZS54K4EmrC
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 17, 2023
Yet, Johnson’s momentum carried him to the wall. He leaped towards the fence to slow himself down or possibly add some showmanship to the catch. But as he did that, he lost the ball and dropped it on the other side of the wall. Umpires ruled the play as a home run.
While Johnson took several steps after catching the ball, baseball requires the fielder to either maintain possession or voluntarily release the ball. The umpires thought that Johnson did neither of those as he accidentally dropped the ball while still in the process of completing the entire sequence.
The broadcast seemed to think that the umpires missed the call, but in the scope of the rules, it was correct. Either way, it was one of the stranger home runs we’ll ever see.
This was how Twitter reacted
You gotta be kidding me. https://t.co/39zUq3qTUt
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) July 17, 2023
"What is a catch" has made its way to baseball. https://t.co/UDEiItgsUc
— Gunnar Henderson for President (@TylerBennett248) July 17, 2023
Love the "no way" from @ZackBayrouty on this one. Great job as always ZBay. https://t.co/MsZ0HEQZys
— Greg Young (@GregYoungJr) July 17, 2023
He got 2 feet down in bounds, touchdown. https://t.co/2K5scCdOxd
— Dustin Curlee (@D_Curl89) July 17, 2023
Is this the right call?????? https://t.co/FN16HhDHOK
— Fun Guy (@NahG89) July 17, 2023
I've contended for a long time that I don't understand how it's still ruled an out if the outfielder catches the ball but falls over the fence. To me that's a home run, sure you caught it but you did not keep the ball in the field of play.
*two different plays but similar* https://t.co/w1IUiiVzLD
— A.J. Hicks (@Ajhicks11) July 17, 2023
This is amazing https://t.co/MkPcVKAfJt
— Tony Simmons (@T_Dawg1981) July 17, 2023
Or, “Umpires correctly apply rule to a situation where they judge the fielder did not voluntarily release the ball, meaning it was not a legal catch.” https://t.co/UrSvGqMgNN
— Pete the Kick Boy (@petedotowens) July 17, 2023
Thems the rules https://t.co/pXuXxZBaxB
— burg (@NBurgerMeister) July 17, 2023
The Dodgers ended up winning the game, 6-4.
