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Coach: Remember the last (and only) game we went to. Where there was runners on first and second, one out, and a double-play ball hit to the shortstop.

We were unsure what would happen if the runner interefered with the ball on purpose to try and break up the double play. This week I ended up going over to a friends' house who umpired for 8 or 9 years and we discussed the play. We didn't have the rulebook, but we came to the conclusion that it was a dead ball and both the runner and the batter would be out due to the interference. I'm ashamed to say it took two guys with over 15 years of umpiring experience 10 minutes to figure it out.

Well, I looked it up this morning. Rule 7.09(g):

If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. The umpire shall call the runner out for interference and also call out the batter runner because of the action of his teammate. In no event may bases be run or runs scored because of such action by a runner.

So I guess Delgado shouldn't have picked up the ball and run into the outfield like a tight end. :)

Mike

Apologies for the hijack, not sure if there'll be a minor league update today.

I went to the Ravens game last night, mostly to see McGowan pitch. Adams and Quiroz were both out of the lineup, I assume just a normal day off.

For the first few innings I watched from behind the plate to try and see what the radar guns were showing (I saw at least 4 at the game FWIW). McGowan’s fastball was hitting 94 almost every time. He got up to 96 once, and was as low as 92. He had another pitch that was in the mid to low 80s and then another that would be in the 70s (I’m not good with pitch recognition). McGowan had control problems last night, but was otherwise strong. He walked 4-5 batters and also hit a batter. No one hit a ball hard off of him all night. The best were a few solid singles. He seemed to break several bats and got a lot of ground balls to the right side of the infield.

Rios again was the star at the plate, although it looked better in the boxscore than it was. He got a RBI groundout on a high hopper to the pitcher in the first. His next AB was a 2 run double down the RF line. He also had an infield single (where I thought he might have been out).

While I was watching behind the plate someone approached the man to my left a couple seats down for an autograph. Turns out it was 1960 AL ROY Ron Hansen, I assume scouting for someone (he was taking notes).

I also believe that Willie Upshaw might be the hitting coach/1B coach for Norwich.

I guess Delgado shouldn't have picked up the ball and run into the outfield like a tight end.

Carlos did his best to leap over the ball and screen the shortstop, which is fine, but like Reggie Jackson in a rundown, if you "try" to get out of the way and it "accidentally" hits your leg, you can save an out.

Pistol, interesting hijacks and eyewitness reports are always encouraged. Our minor-league "staff" may not be as prolific as usual for the next little while; John's got only intermittent Internet access, and Jordan's preparing for an out-of-town conference, followed by moving.

Apologies for the hijack, not sure if there'll be a minor league update today.

Thanks for the first person encounter! I'll co-hijack with you...

Jamie Vermilyea walked his first batter since being called up to Dunedin (and threw a WP too) but once again pitched an outstanding 3 no-hit, 3K innings. He's now pitched 12 scoreless with only 8 hits allowed and that solitary walk in High-A.

Vito Chiaravolotti went 2-4 for Auburn, raising his average to 359. He's still well on his way to the NY-P Triple Crown, leading the next place player in BA by 0.14, leading HR by 3 and RBI by 11.

Pistol, thanks for the report. You may not know that the Norwich starter, Vance Cozier, is from Ajax, Ontario. Do you have any specific recollections of how he looked? He has a good ERA at AA but his strikeouts are low.

When I saw Quiroz was not in the lineup I wondered if he had been called up to Syracuse to replace Cash. Pistol did you see him last night?

Cozier certainly wasn't dominating, but after the 2nd inning he seemed to get in a groove.

The Ravens had a doubleheader over the weekend that went extra innings so I didn't think Quiroz not playing was anything but a day off. I didn't consider the Cash promotion at the time so I wasn't looking for him, and I didn't have a good look in the dugout. Plus their uniforms don't have names so it's not as easy to identify someone. So long story short, I didn't see him, but he could have been there.

Quiroz and Rios reportedly have the flu; Russ Adams is said to be resting as he approaches 600 PA between A+ and AA.