The Phillies Make History with Unique Plays

The Phillies had another memorable game!

This time, they managed to break records that didn’t even seem to exist before.

In a surprising turn, the team scored a walk-off run on a controversial interference call against the Red Sox catchers on Monday. Later in the game, they found themselves benefiting from another catcher’s interference.

The first instance occurred in the bottom of the first inning, when Bryce Harper, on third base, seized the opportunity from Boston pitcher Richard Fitts, who had a notably slow delivery to home plate.

As Fitts struggled, Harper bolted towards home. When he arrived, Brandon Marsh, the batter who secured Monday’s win, hurriedly vacated the batter’s box.

Even though Fitts’ pitch and catcher Carlos Narváez’s tag came too late to catch Harper, home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez saw something amiss during the play and called interference.

It was quite a scene as Jimenez not only charged Narváez with interference but also called what’s known as a catcher’s balk, an occurrence as rare as encountering someone with AB negative blood type.

The rules state: “If a runner on third is trying to score by stealing home or during a squeeze play, and the catcher or another fielder steps in without possessing the ball or touching the batter, the pitcher is charged with a balk.”

So, with the slow home situation, Harper not only scored but was awarded the base automatically, allowing Marsh to advance to first.

Even the crew chief, Quinn Walcott, acknowledged the oddity of the event. “I think I saw this at umpires’ school at some point,” he mentioned. “This is the first time I’ve encountered it during a game in the minors.”

Ultimately, the Phillies came out on top with a 4-1 win—though this time, there wasn’t any dramatic finish. Still, it’s quite something to win while breaking barriers that seemed to be unrecognized before!