Diaz Called Back to Bat After Umpire Rules He Leaned In

[Lindsay]

Aledmys Diaz grounded out to complete Houston's extra-inning loss to Philadelphia in Game 1 of the 2022 #Phillies-#Astros #WorldSeries, but not after he tried to get on base another way. Two pitches before the game-ending groundout, HP Umpire James Hoye denied Diaz free passage to first base on a hit-by-pitch from Phillies pitcher David Robertson, ruling that Diaz failed to make an attempt to avoid being touched by the ball, which by rule excludes the customary first base award on a standard HBP. 

Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(2) states, "The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out when—

They are touched by a pitched ball which they are not attempting to hit unless (A) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (B) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if they make no attempt to avoid being touched."

Accordingly, as leaning into a pitch most certainly doesn't meet the criteria for attempting to avoid it, Diaz was called back to bat.

Interestingly college posits a unique penalty for this violation that is different than OBR (and NHFS), per NCAA Rule 8-2-d-1a: "If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or if the batter moves to intentionally get hit or freezes to allow a pitch that is not within the batter's box to hit them, the ball is dead, it shall be called a strike and the batter is not awarded first base."

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Did Diaz intentionally try to get hit by a pitch? Ump Hoye thought so (CCS)

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[Jimurray]

Is Dusty happy with Diaz or not? Getting on an open base by taking a HBP does no good and as a PH the guy should be thinking I'm driving those runs in. Was he trying to put the onus on the next batter because he had no gonads or because he thought McCormick had a better stick than himself?

[beerguy55]

I'm likely benching him for the rest of the series.  

If I pinch hit someone for Trey Mancini it's not so they can walk - the tying run is on second and I'm looking for a single...and bonus, after the first pitch the tying run is on third, the winner on second...

If I REALLY wanted Diaz to walk I 1) ask for the first inside pitch to be looked at again, and 2) give Diaz the take on 3-0 and 3-1.

And that's the real puzzler...Diaz tries to get hit on two inside pitches and then swings at 3-0...it was a strike, but not a really high-percentage hittable strike.

All in all, Diaz had his head up his ass that entire at-bat and doesn't deserve to have a World Series roster spot.

[ATXBlue]

1 AB and the guy doesn't deserve a roster spot? Yikes! 

Mancini is 0-The Playoffs so pinch hitting for him wasn't a crazy move. The approach was bi-polar for sure, but I don't fault him for wanting to get on and pass it to the next guy. Robertson is a heavy curveball/slider guy and had already stuck one in the dirt to advance the runners. Now that logic goes away when you swing at junk (see bi-polar comment above), but I don't think going up there and doing a little lean to get on base is terrible. Let's not forget, Diaz is also 1-18 in the playoffs so both guys are struggling at the plate. 

The only production the Astros have gotten from the DH spot is when the put someone else in LF and have Yordan DH.