Unreviewable - Pushed Runner Play Again Sent to NY

[Lindsay]

First baseman Miguel Cabrera pushed baserunner Guillermo Heredia off of the first base bag on a challenged play ruled not reviewable by the New York Replay Operations Center. The Play: With one out and one on (R1) in the 9th inning of a tied ballgame, Tigers pitcher Warwick Saupold attempted to...

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[maven]

Interesting call and ruling. Since it's umpire discretion by interpretation, there's no disputing Carlson's call. By interpretation, whatever he says about whether the fielder "pushed" the runner off the base, he's correct.

All that said, if this play happens in front of me, I have an out. The runner is responsible for acquiring and holding the base. If the normal force of a tag is sufficient to dislodge a runner from the base, then I have a runner tagged off base.

I think this play is the flip side of a runner sliding in and dislodging the ball. We have to judge whether a runner intentionally contacted a fielder in order to dislodge a ball, or whether the ball came out as the result of normal action of the runner sliding or acquiring the base. If intentional, we'll get the out (for INT). Otherwise, the contact is incidental, and we'd have no tag.

Here we have to judge here whether the fielder is merely tagging a runner (resulting in an out) or intentionally pushing him off the base (in which case the umpire should protect him back to the base).

[conbo61]

If this was called as an out I can see where this will be a new technique taught to future F3's.  Get under the arm and lift off the hand off the base.  The runner has no recourse or way to prevent this short of installing handles on the bag.