Cards-Mets, 8/8 - Failure to retouch

[bigwes68]

OK, I was at Busch Stadium on Sunday and saw this play happen. Didn't have the luxury of a radio or TV to know exactly what happened, but this is what I saw:

1st inning, 0 out, R2 (Renteria). R2 breaks for third on the pitch, B1 (Pujols) hits a fly ball to center. Renteria rounds third about the time the ball leaves the infield, and starts on a straight line back to 2B without retouching 3B. Throw comes in to 2B, not in time to double off Renteria.

When Pujols hit the ball, on his follow-through, his bat came around and hit the Mets catcher (Vance Wilson) in the head. As soon as the ball gets to F4, PU calls "time" so the Mets' trainers can come out and check on him. Pitcher (Leiter) starts arguing that Renteria didn't retouch third and wants to appeal. Obviously, since the ball is dead, 1) he can't appeal yet and 2) Renteria can't go back and touch third. Once Wilson leaves the game and a replacement comes in, Leiter steps on the rubber to put the ball in play. Renteria breaks for third, but the ball beats him and he is called out on the appeal.

I'm pretty sure I'm right on this, but Renteria could not have erased the appeal had he beaten the throw to third, right? If the ball had not become dead, he would have had to go back and retouch third, and retouch second again before being able to advance.