Blue Jays-Red Sox game delayed after confusion over outs and a ruled run

sportsAug 11, 202631527

The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox paused midway through the seventh inning Monday when the Rogers Centre scoreboard showed the wrong number of outs, prompting umpires to halt play for a 15-plus-minute rules check led by crew chief Chris Guccione. With runners on first and third, Nick Sogard lined a ball that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fielded on a bounce and threw to second for what was recorded on the board as a double play, then Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center as the Red Sox runners broke on contact and the Jays relayed to first for what appeared to be the third out. The confusion turned on MLB rule 5.09(c)(4) about appeal plays because Boston’s runner crossed home plate before the Jays recorded the out at first, meaning Toronto needed to appeal the runner leaving early at third to negate the run. The Jays walked off thinking the inning was over and thereby lost the right to appeal, so after consulting with MLB the umpires awarded the run; Boston scored its first run of the game and the home crowd booed during the delay. John Schneider said the play was a timing play and that he disagreed with the umpires' assessment that all Blue Jays crossed the third base line before the plate umpire waved off the run. Guccione said the scoreboard error did not factor into the ruling and called the scoreboard a courtesy for fans, adding that umpires are responsible for knowing the number of outs. The delay did not affect the final result; Toronto won 2-1.

Justin White

@jwhite.bsky.social

I am going to try to explain what just happened in the Blue Jays/Red Sox game. Reskeet if you want to. So the Red Sox had runners on first and second, no outs. The batter hit a low liner toward 1st base which bounced once on the dirt just as Vladdy dove to stop the ball. It would have looked like...

15145d ago

Justin White40

...he caught if if you were a base-runner, but he didn't catch it. He knew it too, so he forced the runner out at 2nd, leaving two guys on (first and third). The scoreboard operator must have read it as a line drive double play because for a short time, the scoreboard read two outs rather than one.

reggie seidman15

This is a " @jonbois.bsky.social watching baseball " story.

Heiz4

I would be livid if I was on the Jays staff.

Jeremy Bailin4

I hate that I understand this.

John Leone2

Professional baseball…man, I don’t know

Thurman8er2

I can't WAIT for highlights. Too bad every game is only allowed about a minute for the wrapup these days.

Quoting this

Micah131

every day in baseball you might see something you’ve never seen before, and that’s beautiful

Katherine Alejandra Cross10

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

KD Casey — Read Breakout Year Today!9

I need everyone in baseball to learn to count to two

Gausless in Toronto5

Justin has the best explanation of that shitshow

Mona Lott3

I saw video clips of this & the ump explanation. Between those & this amazing well-written thread, it still is confusing AF & insane to me. Baseball sure can be pure chaos & this kind of shit makes me love it even more.

emmylou harris's baseball pager 🗽🫱🏿‍🫲🏻3

how can you not be romantic about baseball, the sport that causes madness on par with a Lovecraftian eldritch horror (laudatory)

Marsha🇨🇦3

This is a good thread so we get it now but also, why did it take the umps and going to NY sooooo long to figure out this rule? What a night. C"mon Louis, lock it down! #BlueJays

Flying Mezerkis2

Still trying to understand this.

Keegan Matheson

@keeganmatheson.bsky.social

What just happened and what is a “fourth out”? My story with details on the ruling between the #BlueJays and the Red Sox: www.mlb.com/bluejays/new...

4045d ago

🍁Looking for a New Hobby2

If nobody on or off the field understood how to call this correctly, then maybe it’s time to remove it from the rule book. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Horn Slack1

After just watching a Banana Ball game on Saturday, I felt like I was watching another with that clip. 🤨

Quoting this

Eric Stephen2

shades of Bob Schaefter on Easter Sunday 2009 in Phoenix bsky.app/profile/eric...

Mike Wilner

@wilnerness.bsky.social

By the way, #Bluejays manager John Schneider made sure to point out after the game that, including last week with #Bisons, Charles McAdoo has now homered in five straight games.

3845d ago

Will Harris

@sandwichpick.bsky.social

If you thought the Red Sox Blue Jays situation was weird it could've been 10x weirder

MLB Scoring Changes @ScoringChanges
S
B FOURTH OUT MISTAKE!!! S
NO WAY!!! @RedSox at @BlueJays and in the 7thx Boston has first and third and one out. Ceddanne Rafaela hits a fly to center and both runners forget there was one out. After the ball was caught. the Blue Javs threw the the ball in and doubled off the runner at first, for an inning ending double play
Since the runner from third scored BEFORE the third out. the run count because this is not a force, but a timing play
What Toronto SHOULD have done is after the out at first, they legally could have thrown to third and appealed that that runner left early. This would have been the elusive FOURTH OUT and this would have replaced the third out and nullified the run.
Once all the infielders crossed the foul line, the ability to appeal the play was lost, and once that happened, the run was officially counted.

2645d ago

Bryan Joiner2

ty, I have cited u www.overthemonster.com/red-sox-game...

Gerkinov 🌻🍉1

So it wasn't umpire error for scoring the run without a tag up? A run can be scored on a sac fly without a tag up? WTactualF?

Quoting this

🦔 Princess Fielder 🏳️‍⚧️9

Baseball is the best sport in the world and no one knows the rules

Will Harris3

Chad Moriyama posted a clip of the same thing happening to Dan Haren in 2009

Tim Healey

@timbhealey.bsky.social

“They’re very rare, but we saw one tonight.” I am a better baseball fan for knowing about the “Fourth Out” play. Seems oxymoronic! And yet: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/10/s...

2445d ago

Quoting this

Jacob Pomrenke18

In SABR’s Baseball Research Journal, Stew Thornley laid out this exact scenario tonight in explaining the “fourth out” rule: sabr.org/journal/arti...

Jayson Stark

@jaysonst.bsky.social

Still trying to figure out that "4th out" rule and the 16-minute delay in the Blue Jays-Red Sox game last night? Good thing Mitch was there to explain it!

2345d ago

Audrey Armstrong

@lesbiaudrey.bsky.social

Boy I sure am glad the Toronto Blue Jays won 2-0 tonight and the Red Sox definitely never scored a run!!! #bluejays

1845d ago

Swagger

@girlswagger101.bsky.social

Good job, Blue Jays! Blue Jays take game 1 despite Red Sox dumbassery. #BlueJays 💁🏻

2345d ago

Toronto Blue Jays

@torontobluejays95.bsky.social

Starting the homestand with a W! #BlueJays50 FINAL: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 1

2145d ago

Peter Abraham

@peteabeglobe.bsky.social

Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 1, final. Sox (64-54) have lost three straight for the first time since losing four in a row from June 14-18. Sox are 3-7 vs. the Jays this season.

2345d ago

Tom from Bluebird Banter

@bluebirdbanter.bsky.social

Jays Overcome A Really Weird Ruling and Beat Red Sox

1745d ago

Toronto Blue Jays

@bluejaysbot.bsky.social

Big Mac and Bate made it to the Win Cam! #BlueJays50

1545d ago

Mitch Bannon

@mitchbannon.bsky.social

What just happened? Here's what I got the 7th inning delay in tonight's #BlueJays/#RedSox game: www.nytimes.com/athletic/750...

1045d ago

Quoting this

Jason Markusoff17

If I understand correctly, the onus was on the smart team to call out the stupid team’s stupidity in a more timely fashion. What a rule.

Drunk Sox Guy

@drunksoxguy.bsky.social

If I’m the Red Sox, the next time the Blue Jays come to Fenway and the Blue Jays are up the scoreboard will always say there’s two out

1145d ago

Patrick Riley

@patjriley.bsky.social

When people say that every baseball game you’ll see something you’ve never seen before, they’re talking about the top of this 7th inning in the Red Sox-Blue Jays game

945d ago

3 sources

nytimes.comRed Sox-Blue Jays game delayed amid confusion over scoreboard, number of outs (Gift Article)bluejaysnation.comInstant Reaction: Blue Jays’ offence does just enough to steal series opener from Boston clothivostore.comRed Sox vs Blue Jays Searches Rise in August | CLOTHIVOSTORE

Jac Caglianone hits 2-run homer off Tarik Skubal in Dodgers debutsports Jung Hoo Lee delivers go-ahead solo homer for Giants vs Astrossports Blue Jays-Red Sox game delayed after confusion over outs and a ruled runsports UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC accuse FIFA of deception over World Cup plansports

Blue Jays-Red Sox game delayed after confusion over outs and a ruled run

Related