Royals aided by controversial home run in ALCS Game 6

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If you’ve never heard the name Jeffrey Maier before and you’re not familiar with his story, chances are you will be before this weekend is over.

Maier became famous — or infamous — for reaching over the wall at the old Yankee Stadium to catch Derek Jeter’s fly ball during Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS. Maier essentially yanked the ball away from Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco and pulled it into the stands, giving Jeter a home run. Despite clear evidence of fan interfence, it remained a home run and still to this day remains one of the most controversial moments in postseason history.

We saw something similar during ALCS Game 6 in Kansas City. During the second inning, the Royals’ Mike Moustakas hit an absolute rocket to right field that a fan named Caleb Humphreys reached over the railing in right-center to make the grab.

Given the trajectory of the baseball, the structure of the ballpark and the specific ground rules at Kauffman Stadium, it’s a much different set of circumstances than Maier’s controversial catch.

Here’s how the ground rules are written.

Batted ball in flight striking the top of the outfield wall above the out-of-town scoreboards and bouncing over the fence: Home Run.

Batted ball in flight striking the railing above and behind the out-of-town scoreboard in right field and rebounding onto the playing field: Home Run.

The call on the field was home run, which was later upheld by replay.

It’s definitely close. During the Fox broadcast, Humphreys illustrated where he held his glove, which indicated the correct call was made, but where everything lined up exactly as it happened is tough to say. There’s no definitive camera angle either, though most suggested it was, again, a good call.

What we know for sure is the home run gave Kansas City an early 2-0 lead in a potential close out game with the World Series on the line. That makes it a big deal, and guarantees it will be a hot topic in baseball, especially if the Royals hold on and advance.

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