# MLB: June 2017 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 1, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850 "2017-06-01T17:15:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/141 "2017-06-23T00:22:15Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Wait, what? If you interfere with a player attempting to return to a base, they advance a base? How does that make any sense? Firstly, i should have used the word “obstruction” and not “interference.” When a fielder impedes a runner, the term is obstruction. The rule doesn’t make any distinction based on which direction the person is running. If obstruction occurs between the bases, you get the next base, which in this case, was home plate. The official language from the rulebook says: > [@](#): > > The obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base he had last legally touched before the obstruction. > > [Official Rules](http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/4/0/224919040/2017_Official_Baseball_Rules_dbt69t59.pdf) (PDF), p.67 In this case, the last base he legally touched was third, and it doesn’t matter that he was trying to get back to third when the obstruction occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/142 "2017-06-23T03:55:31Z")
Learn something new every day. Thanks for the explanation. Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/143 "2017-06-23T13:55:47Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yep, it was interference. [Here’s the play](http://m.mlb.com/video/v1526034083/tortex-umpires-rule-interference-in-a-rundown/?game_pk=491197). Definitely obstruction (or interference, whatever, you get it). And nice base running there. That’s exactly what you’re taught to do in a run down; run into a fielder even if he’s only kind of in your way. That runner could have avoided Tulo, but managed to make contact while staying in the base path. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/144 "2017-06-23T16:05:36Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Definitely obstruction (or interference, whatever, you get it). And nice base running there. That’s exactly what you’re taught to do in a run down; run into a fielder even if he’s only kind of in your way. That runner could have avoided Tulo, but managed to make contact while staying in the base path. Avoiding Tulowitzki would have meant staying on the infield side of the baseline, pretty much conceding the tag by Martin who was chasing him, so no, not really, he couldn’t have avoided Tulo and kept the play alive at the same time. Very heads-up baserunning in a bad situation. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/145 "2017-06-23T16:11:29Z")
Meanwhile, why on earth didn’t Martin throw to Tulo? Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/146 "2017-06-23T17:34:57Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Well the Mets do suck (thanks to far too many injuries) but Puig is a punk for admiring his homer. Its bullshit and you know it. Nope. Don’t agree. Players should admire homers. You hit a ball 400+ feet off a major league pitcher, you get to celebrate a little. It’s a game, not a state funeral. If you don’t want hitters flipping bats or admiring homers, throw better pitches. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/147 "2017-06-23T19:13:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nope. Don’t agree. Players should admire homers. You hit a ball 400+ feet off a major league pitcher, you get to celebrate a little. It’s a game, not a state funeral. > > If you don’t want hitters flipping bats or admiring homers, throw better pitches. I agree. Yet another one of those stupid “unwritten/unspoken rules” that ends up getting batters plunked and starting brawls. In other news, my Reds have fallen off a cliff due to such shitty, crappy pitching. What a waste of a good offensive and defensive season. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/148 "2017-06-24T01:44:45Z")
The Orioles are getting crushed 14-5 in the 6th inning by the Rays. Their pitchers have now equaled a Major League record, giving up 5 or more runs in 20 straight games. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/149 "2017-06-25T17:03:45Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > The Orioles are getting crushed 14-5 in the 6th inning by the Rays. > > Their pitchers have now equaled a Major League record, giving up 5 or more runs in 20 straight games. They finally broke the streak. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/150 "2017-06-25T19:22:30Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nope. Don’t agree. Players should admire homers. You hit a ball 400+ feet off a major league pitcher, you get to celebrate a little. It’s a game, not a state funeral. > > If you don’t want hitters flipping bats or admiring homers, throw better pitches. Also, it’s not like it would happen all the time anyway. No all home runs are no-doubter moonshoots like Puig’s was; plenty of them only just clear the fence. If you stand and admire your shot, and it ends up falling short, you will look like a complete idiot, and get a reaming from your manager for not running the bases. > [@RickJay](#): > > They finally broke the streak. Yeah, but they’re back to form today, giving up 5 to the Rays before the end of the fifth inning. It’s really quite remarkable, given their pythagorean stats, that they’re only two games under .500. They should be three games behind the Blue Jays, in last place. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/151 "2017-06-25T23:57:18Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > It’s really quite remarkable, given their pythagorean stats, that they’re only two games under .500. They should be three games behind the Blue Jays, in last place. One of the many gratifying things about the season so far for an Astros fan is noticing that the Texas Rangers are badly underplaying their pythagorean. I guess they don’t understand how to man up and win the close games. They should maybe talk to the members of a team that were gutsy enough to win a lot of one-run games, such as the 2016 Rangers. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/152 "2017-06-26T01:19:25Z")
[ > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Well the Mets do suck (thanks to far too many injuries) but Puig is a punk for admiring his homer. Have we gotten to the point that players on other teams dislike him more than [his own](https://sports.yahoo.com/news/book--disdain-for-yasiel-puig-by-dodgers-teammates-no-longer-a-secret-212239227.html) [teammates](http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/yasiel-puig-sent-to-minors-what-went-wrong-w432492)? It didn’t seem to me that Puig watched his home run ball significantly longer than baseball etiquette demands, but on the other hand I love that MLB players self-police to limit the dance rituals and other garbage that plague other pro sports. \*Wonder what would happen if Cam Newton chucked football to pursue dreams of becoming a baseball star? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/153 "2017-06-28T17:11:05Z")
Miguel Montero [gets cut from the Cubs](http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-miguel-montero-designate-for-assignment-20170628-story.html) after criticizing Jake Arrieta in the media. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/154 "2017-06-28T17:21:40Z")
Pretty stupid of Montero. While it has been a frustrating season for the Cubs so far, they have a glut of catchers. I wonder if he knew that Caratini was getting called up soon and knew that he’d be DFA soon anyway Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/155 "2017-06-28T17:50:32Z")
Well, this way he gets to be sure that his perfect record with Chicago stays intact: 31 stolen base attempts, and 31 successful steals! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/156 "2017-06-28T17:58:30Z")
I’m not sure having one guy in AAA is a “glut” of catchers, exactly, but honestly Montero might be better off this way, anyway; he’s a good enough catcher to get a crack at starting for some teams. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/157 "2017-06-28T18:01:55Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Miguel Montero [gets cut from the Cubs](http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-miguel-montero-designate-for-assignment-20170628-story.html) after criticizing Jake Arrieta in the media. 7 stolen bases? Sheesh!!! That’s almost as bad as Jon (run baby, run!) Lester. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/158 "2017-06-28T18:03:47Z")
Well, a glut assumes that they’re going to try Schwarber back at catcher. He damn well can’t play the outfield. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/159 "2017-06-28T19:55:29Z")
It is perhaps indicative of Schwarber’s defensive capabilities that I complete forgot he ever caught. I don’t think asking the guy to take on a WAY harder position when he’s trying to find the right swing to get up to the Mendoza line is a great idea. Schwarber isn’t really a .170 hitter and he’ll be fine. In a sense, Schwarber kind of reminds me of Carlos Delgado. Like Schwarber, Delgado was a minor league catcher who was visibly capable of being a terrifying power hitter, but it became quickly apparent he wasn’t really capable of playing catcher at the big league level. Like Schwarber, Delgado was tried out in the outfield because there was a spot open for him there, and he was very bad at it. Like Schwarber, after Delgado’s first real taste he basically missed a whole year, albeit not to injury. In Delgado’s case, however, a spot opened up because his team needed a DH, and after a year of that the Blue Jays inexplicably traded John Olerud for peanuts, thus cementing Delgado at first base. If you’re Kyle Schwarber, this is where the story gets alarming; the Cubs don’t need either of those things because they don’t us a DH most of the time and their first baseman is as good as Carlos Delgado and is signed through 2021. You have to think at least one AL team has called up Chicago and asked what it would take to get Schwarber in their uniform, with the thought of taking away his glove and just telling him to go hit. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850/160 "2017-06-29T01:53:11Z")
News just gets worse for the Cubs as Kris Bryant looks to be out for a while with an ankle injury Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2017/787850.md?page=9)