MLB playoffs 2021 – Inside the weird, wild and controversial 13th inning of Rays-Red Sox ALDS Game 3

Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox might have had one of the wildest endings in postseason history. The two teams had battled back and forth for more than five hours, with the Rays’ Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena leading a comeback in the eighth inning to help send the game into extras. Neither squad could get much going from the 10th to the 12th, but then all hell broke loose in the 13th.

We asked our team of MLB experts to weigh in on the kind of ending fans will be talking about for years.

Dave Schoenfield — What the heck just happened?

In the top of the 13th inning of a game that would last 5 hours, 14 minutes and feature 16 pitchers and 389 pitches, Yandy Diaz was on first base for the Rays with two outs and was running when Kevin Kiermaier lined a 3-2 slider from Nick Pivetta off the base of the low wall in front of the bullpens in right-center field. The ball bounced back onto the warning track, off Hunter Renfroe’s leg and over the wall into the bullpens.

Make it make sense pic.twitter.com/QyLp3UTpdL

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 11, 2021

Diaz was already a step from third base and would have scored easily if the ball remained in play, but after an umpire review, he was sent back to third base and Kiermaier to second. Pivetta then struck out Mike Zunino to end the threat.

Note that rule 5.05(a)(8) in the rulebook and 5.06(b)(4)(h) in the umpires manual say, “Any fair fly ball is deflected by the fielder into the stands, or over the fence into foul territory, in which case the batter shall be entitled to second base; but if deflected into the stands or over the fence in fair territory, the batter shall be entitled to a home run.”

That would be the famous Jose Canseco play — the fly ball bouncing off his head and over the fence for a home run. For Kiermaier’s hit, rule 5.05(a)(8) comes into play, making it a ground-rule double.

In the bottom of the 13th, Luis Patino walked Renfroe, and then