Quote:
Originally Posted by wadeintothem
It does seem the catcher lost control due to impact with the ground.
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Yep, he sure did!
He lost it AFTER making the tag with control of the ball, securely held in his mitt. And that is the standard for determining a valid tag.
From the point of the tag- and the umpire's signal of out- Varitek's momentum carried him an additional 8-10 feet before stumbling, hitting the ground and having the ball pop out. That he lost the ball at that point is moot- the tag had already been made and the runner was already out.