Julio Rodríguez' bizarre faux pas against the Yankees: Why the costly flying bat play wasn't ruled “dead” by the umpires

Seattle Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodríguez has had a disappointing season by his own lofty standards. His year got a little worse on Wednesday night when he suffered an uncharacteristic and costly outing in the 10th inning of a 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees. (The Yankees became the first American League team to clinch a playoff spot this season with the win.)

To describe the scene: Rodríguez was the lead runner in a first-and-third situation with no one out and Randy Arozarena at bat. Arozarena struck out and missed a 2-2 pitch from Ian Hamilton, losing his bat in the process. Said bat ran down the third-base line, forcing Rodríguez to move out of the way. There was just one problem: Rodríguez strayed too far from third base, allowing Yankees catcher Austin Wells to throw behind him. Then third baseman Jazz Chisholm made a tag, putting Rodríguez on the receiving end of a strange strike'em out, throw'em out double play.

Take a look at this:

After the game, Rodríguez explained that his instinct at that moment told him to get out of the way of the bat, but he thought that third base umpire Jeremy Rehak would rule the ball dead, so his trip off the base would no longer be a problem.

“Then they took the bat and I went back to third base,” Rodríguez told reporters, including MLB.com. “And then I heard (third-base coach Manny Acta) yell, 'Go back to third base.' That's when I went back to third base. At that moment, I wasn't really thinking about the play. I was just thinking about dodging the bat that was coming at me. That was a first for me.”

Rodríguez later asked Rehak about the ruling, but was denied a vindication. For all we know, Rehak probably acted under Rule 5.09(a)(8), which reads in part:

If a bat breaks and any part of it is in fair territory and is struck by a batted ball, or any part of it strikes a runner or fielder, play shall continue and no interference shall be penalized. If a batted ball strikes any part of a broken bat in foul territory, it is a foul ball.

If an entire stick is thrown into fair or foul territory and interferes with a defending player's play, it is considered interference, whether intentional or not.

Arozarena's bat didn't break, nor did it bother any of the Yankees' defensive backs. In fact, one could argue that he didn't necessarily impede Rodríguez — and that he had plenty of time to make sure he was safe before returning to the bag. His faux pas here is understandable, even instinctive, but unfortunately still a faux pas under the current MLB rulebook.

It's worth noting that Rodríguez's baserunning error marks the second night in a row that the Mariners have caused an out on the basepaths in some strange way. On Tuesday, Victor Robles was thrown out while attempting to steal home with the score 3-0, two outs and the bases loaded. To make matters worse, Robles was later taken off the field due to a hand contusion sustained on a hit by pitch that initially put him on base.

It has been that kind of season for the Mariners. They are now three games out of a wild-card spot with ten games left.