A Never-Ending Saga – Umpires in Hot Waters Again After Cody Bellinger’s Out?

It’s quite natural in sports for fans to complain about an umpire’s decision. In an emotionally charged situation, one ordinarily can feel like the world is against them. However, recently, in MLB, these controversies have increased quite rapidly. From controversial ejections to calls that have raised eyebrows, the umpires aren’t able to escape the storm of fans’ disapproval. This controversy took another turn yesterday after the Chicago Cubs superstar and former MVP Cody Bellinger’s out made fans question the rules.

Something peculiar happened on top of the 4th inning in the game between the Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. With Sonny Gray on the mound, Bellinger stood at 2nd base. However, Gray’s attempt to pick him off took him by surprise. That immediately sent Bellinger running toward the third base. With three players surrounding him, somehow Bellinger made it to the third base. All’s well, right? Well, no, the umpire immediately called an out to the star.

The confusion on Cody Bellinger’s face was apparent, and the Chicago Cubs mirrored it. The skipper, Craig Counsell, had to come down to the pitch to ask the umpire why he made such a drastic decision. It was later revealed that Bellinger’s out was a result of him straying from the baseline while heading to third base. That satisfied Counsell, but it didn’t have the necessary effect on the fans.

Partly because of a bad angle and especially because of previous decisions, the umpires and fans have created a giant wall between each other. It was proved again when the fan called out the umpires for making this call against Bellinger. However, with mixed opinions regarding this situation, there’s an actual need to understand how this rule works.

Was Cody Bellinger really out of his baseline? Or did the umpire make a mistake? The answer might be a bit surprising but could be that’s right.

What led to Cody Bellinger’s out?

Official Rules of Baseball, Rule 5.09(b) explains this situation. The game allows the runner to run towards the base in a straight line. Though he was given the freedom to extend that zone to 3 feet, moving too far away from that line leads to the hitter called out. What decides this line? The runner and the fielders do. Whenever a fielder receives a ball to tag, the runner’s path is immediately decided to be straight from where he is currently standing. 

Now, as per this rule, was Cody Bellinger over 3 feet out of his runner’s path? At least, according to the umpires, he was. But one can also say that had he not moved, he would’ve collided with the third baseman. In that case, can one call the fielder out for interference? However, that didn’t take place. So, while the decision was right, technically, it made the fans angry, nonetheless. Perhaps that’s what happens when controversies become as regular as a cheeseburger. It becomes a reflex to say, “wow, that was something.”