Quote:
Originally Posted by rbmartin
Runner did not leave his baseline IMO.
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Interesting take. I thought he did leave his baseline because his slide took him too far to the left of the bag for him to touch it, and an arm's length is usually considered the gauge for OOB calls.
Unlike Ichiro's play, where he was well to the right of the foul line as he headed for home, Blanco's baseline was on the line directly between second and first base (see 0:35 into the video). He then started his deviation from the line as he approached Craig, and went even further away from the line to avoid the tag. When he hit the dirt, his hand was another two feet or so away from the bag.
As expected, the pundits are screaming for expanded IR for tag/no tag plays. I don't see how these plays can be covered with IR because of possible follow-on action that could take place. But with what happened here and in the Cano play the night before, it's tough to argue against it.