The Toronto Blue Jays ran into some trouble on the base path in the second inning of Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when Bo Bichette was tagged out between first and second base after an unusual play at the plate.
Bichette opened the second frame with a single to centre field against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow.
In the following at-bat, centre fielder Daulton Varsho worked a 3-1 count against Glasnow and took a ball well above the strike zone.
Home plate umpire Mark Wegner called the pitch a strike after a short delay and after Varsho had already begun walking towards first base, turning a walk into a 3-2 count. Varsho took a look back at the home plate umpire, then turned back towards first base for a moment before returning to the batter’s box.
However, at first base, Bichette – seemingly thinking that Varsho had taken a walk – began to wander off first base towards second.
When Dodgers catcher Will Smith noticed Bichette had started walking to second, he signalled Glasnow to throw to first, at which point Bichette stood still, knowing he was about to be tagged out with nowhere to go.
That prompted Blue Jays manager John Schneider to walk towards home plate, demanding an explanation, which Wegner provided before play resumed.
In all, Bichette was tagged out, and Varsho would work a walk two pitches later. The call proved particularly impactful, as catcher Alejandro Kirk would lace a ball into right field for a single in the next at-bat that likely would have resulted in the opening score of the game for Toronto.
The Blue Jays and Dodgers started Game 3 tied at a game apiece in the series, with Game 3 the first of three scheduled to be played in Los Angeles before the series potentially shifts back to Toronto for Games 6 and 7, if needed.
