A blunder with the batting order cost the San Francisco Giants a run scored on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Leadoff batter Gregor Blanco started off the bottom of the first with a double off Stephen Fife. Marco Scutaro moved Blanco to third on a sacrifice, and catcher Buster Posey came up after that. Posey knocked in Blanco with an RBI double, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly noticed something was wrong and protested.
Mattingly recognized that the Giants’ official scorecard had Pablo Sandoval batting third and Posey fourth.
Mattingly said something to the umpires before the first pitch to Sandoval. The umps convened and ruled that Posey was out for batting out of order, nullifying the run. Posey then came up again in the proper spot, but he flied out to end the inning.
The rule in question was 6.07 b. Here’s the rule (PDF):
When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and the defensive team appeals to the umpire before the first pitch to the next batter of either team, or before any play or attempted play, the umpire shall (1) declare the proper batter out; and (2) nullify any advance or score made because of a ball batted by the improper batter or because of the improper batter’s advance to first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise.
FOX, which was airing the game, played some sound from Posey before the second inning began. He could be heard telling the homeplate umpire “I’m listed third on the clubhouse and scoreboard.”
He was also listed third when the Giants tweeted out the lineup before the game:
Today's #SFGiants lineup: Blanco cf, Scutaro 2b, Posey c, Sandoval 3b, Pence rf, Belt 1b, Torres lf, Crawford ss, Bumgarner p
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) July 6, 2013
Clearly something got lost along the way, and it cost the Giants a run.
