New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury broke an obscure record during the first inning of Tuesday’s 7-1 thumping of the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the first player in MLB history to reach base on a catcher’s interference nine times in a single season, per MLB Stat of the Day.
Stepping up to the plate with nobody on base and one out in the bottom of the first, Ellsbury appeared to hit a routine grounder to Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy on a 1-2 offering from Baltimore starting pitcher Vance Worley.
After briefly glancing backward, the 32-year-old speedster hustled down the first-base line and even came within a half-step of beating the throw, nearly taking advantage of the soft contact that was caused in part by the collision between his bat and Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph’s glove.
While catcher’s interference is often a difficult call, home plate umpire Todd Tichenor didn’t have much trouble with this one, as Joseph’s catcher’s mitt instantly fell off his hand.
Worley then induced a double play to escape the opening frame unscathed, but Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro hit a two-run homer the next inning, providing all the runs that would ultimately be needed.
One of the true oddities of baseball, catcher’s interference counts as an error against the catcher and a plate appearance for the batter, but it isn’t recorded as an at-bat and also isn’t factored into on-base percentage.
The Bronx Bombers apparently have a knack for this unusual play, as the old single-season record of eight was set by Yankees outfielder Roberto Kelly in 1992, per YES Network on Twitter.
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