The A’s pulled off one of the strangest double plays of the season against the Rangers. With a slim lead and a runner on first, Oakland had just pulled starter JP Sears after six hitless innings when things started to unravel. The bullpen came in, and on a 2-1 pitch that hit the batter, the status shifted to two runners on. Then came the key moment. A pop-up to shallow center dropped between the pitcher and second baseman. The runners hesitated, thinking it would be caught, but it wasn’t. That allowed the A’s to easily force out both runners at second and third.
At first, there was confusion over whether the infield fly rule applied. The ump initially signaled for it but quickly decided against it, likely judging the play didn’t meet the “ordinary effort” standard the rule requires. The ball didn’t get high enough, and the second baseman had to slide to try and catch it. Pitchers rarely make that play themselves, and the fielder wasn’t camped under it. So the umps let it play out, which worked perfectly for the A’s. The double play ended the threat and kept them in control. The call looked borderline, but from a neutral perspective, the umps probably got it right. Still, Rangers fans had every reason to be annoyed, especially since it looked like a cheap way to get two outs.