The only thing that can stop the San Diego Padres these days is a little bad luck. Sunday afternoon the Padres had their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Miami Marlins (MIA 7, SD 6), though Ha-Seong Kim came inches away from a game-tying solo home run with two outs in the ninth inning. The ball hit the top of the wall and was deflected over by left fielder Kyle Stowers.
Below is a look at the play. The umpires initially called this a home run, but after getting together and discussing it, they overturned it and called it an automatic double. Luis Campusano struck out as the next better to strand Kim as the tying run.
MLB Rule 5.05(a)(8) says: “Any bounding fair ball is deflected by the fielder into the stands, or over or under a fence on fair or foul territory, in which case the batter and all runners shall be entitled to advance two bases.”
For all intents and purposes, that play is the same as a ball hitting the ground and the fielder then knocking it over the wall. It’s a double, not a home run. It’s a home run when a defender knocks the ball directly over the wall on the fly. That didn’t happen here. The ball hit the wall first, so it’s only a double.
“(The umpires) gave me no explanation. Told me it was overturned and a ground rule double,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said after the game. “The rule is if it hits the wall, hits the defender, goes over the wall, it’s a double.”
San Diego scored the tying run in the eighth inning or later in each of their last four games prior to Saturday. Even with Sunday’s loss, the Padres are 16-3 in their last 19 games, and have climbed to within three games of the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
