[Nevadaref]

The play in question: during Aaron Rowand's at bat which eventually scored Juan Uribe with the winning run. There was a swing and miss on a steal attempt of 2nd. The backswing caught Braves catcher Brian McCann as he threw to 2nd. The throw went wide and the runner ended up on third, eventually scoring on an infield hit.

Did the Braves get the short end of an incorrect rule application versus the Giants in the 13th inning or is this strictly a judgment call which didn't go their way?

Does rule 6.06(c) Comment apply? It seems to say that the proper call for unintentional contact on the backswing is a strike and the returning of any runners to their bases, but some aspects of that paragraph don't exactly fit with this situation. Specifically the words "before the catcher has securely held the ball" was not the case on this play as the contact was after the ball had been caught and while the catcher was throwing to 2nd. Also, the batter was within the box. Out of the box is mentioned earlier in this rule section, but not directly in this paragraph.


I'm not a baseball umpire. I'm just a fan who enjoys the game, but as I officiate other sports, I desire to know the correct application of the rules.

Thanks for any help from you guys who are experts at this.