Mookie Betts’ non-catch gives Jose Abreu one of the strangest homers
Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu picked up one of the weirdest home runs of the season Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox.
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In the top of the sixth inning, Abreu smashed a 91 mph fastball from Wade Miley out to deep center field. Mookie Betts had to range back near the wall in order to make the play. He caught the ball a few steps away from the wall, but his momentum carried him over the wall and into the bullpen.
Betts hit the ground pretty hard, and his teammates came rushing to his aid immediately. He appeared to be fine, though, climbing over the wall with the ball in his glove. Abreu was initially ruled out.
Well, the White Sox must have seen something no one else did, because they challenged the catch. Replays showed Betts lost control of the ball as he landed in the Red Sox’s bullpen.
Suddenly, the umpires had a tough decision to make. They had to determine whether Betts had control of the ball long enough to consider it a catch, or if losing control of the ball after falling meant Abreu had hit a home run.
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After some deliberation, the umps decided on the latter. Betts did not complete the catch, and Abreu was awarded with his 16th home run of the season.
It was a situation that was strangely similar to Dez Bryant’s non-catch in the NFL playoffs. The NFL has clear rules established for this type of thing, but it doesn’t often happen in baseball.
Like Bryant’s situation, there’s sure to be plenty of differing opinions on whether Betts had control of the ball long enough for it to be considered an out. Fans can’t ask whether Betts made a football move when making that argument, though.
Betts left the game shortly after the play. He was checked for a concussion, and it appears he may be placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list Wednesday.
While the result was ultimately negative for Betts, that shouldn’t take away from his great play. Betts has played strong defense for the Red Sox all season, and this was just another example of that.
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Unfortunately, this one was overruled due to a weird rule, making Betts look like the goat here. In the end, Betts may be a bit embarassed about giving Abreu a cheap home run, but at least he didn’t go full Canseco out there.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
