Strange-but-true baseball play shows value in knowing the rules, following through

I love baseball. I love it for multiple reasons, but one reason in particular interests me more than the others — the rules. I know that sounds wholly nerdy, but it is true.

Many of the rules are quirky and make baseball the perfect topic for trivia games, another activity I enjoy.

For example, let's take Rule 5.05 (a)(2). The rule addresses the catcher dropping the ball on the third strike.

The essentials of Rule 5.05 (a)(2): if a batter strikes out either by swinging and missing, or on a called third strike, and the catcher drops the ball, the batter becomes a runner and can run to first base. Despite the strikeout, play continues, and the catcher must field the ball and either tag the runner or attempt to throw the runner out at first. The runner is safe if the runner reaches first base before one of these occurs.

There are two other aspects of Rule 5.05 (a)(2): first base must be open, or it can be occupied if there are two outs.

An incident involving Rule 5.05 (a)(2) occurred during the 1941 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. In the ninth inning of the fourth game, Brooklyn catcher Mickey Owen missed the third strike on Yankee batter Tommy Henrich and Henrich safely made it to first base. This started a Yankee rally, and they won the game.

The Yankees won the series in five games. The odds favored the Yankees winning the series from the beginning, and they probably would have won without Owen dropping the ball. But the mishap stained a Hall of Fame career.

Recently, Rule 5.05 (a)(2) came into play during the New York State High School Baseball Championship for Section V, Class B1 teams. The game was played between Hornell High School and Palmyra-Macedon High School on May 27.

In the last inning of the game, Hornell had a one-run lead. Palmyra was down to their final at-bat with two outs and two strikes on their batter. Palmyra had runners at first and second.

The next pitch was low and inside but called a strike, the third strike, and what should have been the final out of the game. Unfortunately for Hornell, their catcher dropped the ball.

When the ball was dropped, the batter immediately recognized the situation and began running to first. The catcher recovered the ball and attempted to tag the runner but missed.

The catcher's next move should have been throwing the ball to first for the final out and the win. Instead, he ran to the pitcher's mound and started celebrating with the game still in progress. As the celebration continued, the runners from first and second ran home and scored the tying and winning runs.

Both teams were wearing red jerseys during the game. This is a bit confusing while watching the video, but the teams can be sorted out by the color of their pants. Hornell was wearing gray pants, while Palmyra was in white.

I recommend you watch it multiple times online to get the complete picture of what occurred. Watch it once to introduce the event. Watch again and focus on the key player, the Hornell catcher.

Notice that once the ball popped out of the catcher's glove, it rolled to his right, where he picked it up with his bare hand. He did not have to chase the ball. He had it when he stood up. He attempted to tag the runner but missed. He was aware enough of the situation to check with the umpire, who indicated the runner was safe.

Despite the umpire's signal, the catcher did not throw to first. Instead, he headed toward the mound, placing the ball in his back pocket (a victory souvenir) as he went, and began the celebration.

The distance the ball rolled after it was dropped is interesting. When Owen dropped the ball in the 1941 Series, it got past him and rolled to the backstop. By the time he recovered the ball, throwing to first was pointless. Henrich was safe. In the Hornell-Palmyra game, the ball only rolled 12 to 18 inches and was in front of the catcher.

Watch a third time to follow the home plate umpire. He called the third strike on a bad pitch. He then signals the runner safe when the catcher looks at him after the attempted tag. Later he is seen talking to the coaches who rushed to the field to argue.

During the next viewing, follow the baserunners. You will see the batter who struck out rounding second base just before the runner from second base darts across the bottom of the screen to score the tying run. Shortly after this, the runner from first base scores the winning run. The batter scores just after that. The batter's run did not count because the winning run was scored ahead of him, ending the game.

Watch the Hornell second baseman during a final review. He was the only Hornell player on screen who seemed to know what was happening. He ran around the field to alert his team, but no one paid attention until it was too late.

This is a tragic story for one team and a blissful story for the other. It is also an excellent lesson for the teams and all of us. It shows the importance of knowing the rules. It also shows the importance of following through.

The Palmyra batter knew the rules, recognized the situation, and ran to first. He followed through.

Based on his effort to tag the batter, it appeared that Hornell's catcher was "familiar" with the rules, but failed to follow through.

Like baseball, success in many aspects of life often boils down to knowing the rules and following through.

A final word: keep the Hornell team, especially the catcher, in your thoughts. I am sure those young men are having a difficult time. It was a tough lesson.

Dr. Jeff Miller is a doctor of chiropractic at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute and the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Strange baseball play shows value in knowing the rules, following through