Wednesday afternoon's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field was finished under protest after a bizarre pitching change that appeared to cause great confusion among the umpires.
Rays manager Kevin Cash had reliever Adam Kolarek start the eighth inning. He got Sam Travis to fly out. Then, Cash moved Kolarek to first base and brought in a new pitcher, Chad Roe, to face Mookie Betts. Betts flew out to left field, and then Cash wanted to move Kolarek back to the mound so he could face Rafael Devers. Brandon Lowe replaced Roe at first base.
The confusion seemed to stem from whether the Rays should have lost their DH as a result of these moves, and how the lineup would shake out overall.
Here's the official reason for the protest.
The confusion created a 14-minute delay. Finally, Devers came to the plate and grounded out on the first pitch. There was another delay to begin the bottom half of the eighth. Overall, there was one pitch thrown in a 23-minute span.
The Rays ultimately won 3-2.
Boston Red Sox
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This disaster was yet another example of how baseball games are way too long and sometimes too complicated for fans to understand. For a game that desperately needs to attract a younger audience, this certainly is not the answer.
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