Tigers wander into the strangest double play of the season

A typical baseball season produces thousands upon thousands of double plays. Still, we doubt we’ll see another double play quite as strange as the one turned by the Oakland A’s on Friday night.

Or perhaps we should say, we doubt we’ll see another double play this season quite as strange as the one the Detroit Tigers served up to Oakland on a silver platter.

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If you’re scoring at home, the official ruling was “3-2-batter’s interference,” which in this case meant Victor Martinez interfered with Yonder Alonso’s throw to the plate. Martinez did so unknowingly, as he was simply wandering back to Detroit’s dugout after popping out to Alonso in foul territory, but according to MLB’s interference and obstruction rules it was still a violation.

Here the explanation under Rule 6.01 (5):

Any batter or runner who has just been put out, or any runner who has just scored, hinders or impedes any following play being made on a runner. Such runner shall be declared out for the interference of his teammate.

The runner in this instance was Ian Kinsler. He was on third with one out and only bluffed coming home at first. However, it was deemed that his bluff made Alonso’s throw into a play on the runner, which resulted in Kinsler being called out.

It was a judgement call made by home plate umpire Joe West. Honestly, it seemed like he got it right too, though not everyone agreed with his application.

Yonder Alonso didn’t deserve the break he got on hitting Victor Martinez with a relay that never should have been made.

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) May 28, 2016

Victor Martinez did nothing wrong. Was right to have seen if play was made. Not his fault Alonso made an unnecessary throw home.

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) May 28, 2016

There’s no doubt it was an ill-advised throw given the situation. It just as easily could have short-hopped catcher Stephen Vogt and skipped away. But the rule is the rule. It doesn’t matter if Martinez was expecting the throw or if he’s done that a thousand times without incident, he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Was it a fluke? Absolutely.

Will it happen to Martinez again? Knowing baseball, it probably will again on Saturday.

In the end though, it’s just one of those instances where you tip your cap to weirdness that is baseball.

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