The Dodgers were already down 6–0 in the second inning when Javier Báez gave fans something to talk about. On an 0-2 pitch, Báez tapped a weak grounder for what looked like an easy out. Instead, he turned the moment into a bit of circus fun. As the tag came, Báez pulled off a quick side-step move that looked more like a playground juke than a baseball play. He dodged the tag and was called safe, confusing just about everyone.
The play raised questions about the base path rule, which says a runner can’t step more than three feet to the left or right to avoid a tag once the tag attempt starts. The issue here is nobody, including umpires, seems able to judge three feet by sight. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was all over the umps, arguing Báez had to be more than three feet outside the path. He didn’t get far. The first base ump gave him nothing, so Roberts went to the home plate referee, who didn’t budge either. That ump looked like the kind of guy who has been calling games forever and wasn’t about to get rattled. He insisted everything was by the book.
At the end of the day, nobody could say for sure if Báez stepped over the three-foot limit. The umps didn’t have a tape measure, and eyeballing it wasn’t going to change the call. Báez stayed safe. The Dodgers stayed frustrated. And the rule about three feet? Still as vague as ever when it counts.