I am a Red Sox fan, but still have to give Jeter props for his play on a foul ball. That play ended the inning, but if there were less than 2 outs could the runners have tagged up and advanced after the catch? Any difference that the play was in the stands?
Yes, the runners could have tagged up if there were less than 3 outs. It doesn’t matter that the ball was in the stands; it matters that he caught it.
I’m guessing that if it were less than 3 outs, Jeter would have let the ball drop, since he probably would have realized he had little chance of catching a runner tagging up.
If the umpires judge that the ball has gone out of play – although I haven’t seen the video, it sounds like that’s what happened here – “Time” would have been declared and the runners would have been awarded one base. As RealityChuck noted, Jeter may have “missed” the catch once he realized the possibility of giving up a base to the runners, depending on the situation.
Thanks, those cites seem to cover it.
Actually, as Jeter caught the ball in fair territory, the runner would likely have scored anyway, depending on how well Jeter was able to hold the runner after the pick up.
Some game though, huh?
For those who haven’t seen the play, here it is.