Screen Scream

BY KEVIN KERNAN

Yes, now we know more than ever that screens run their baseball lives.

That is not a surprise to us here at BallNine. But it is still a crying shame and shows how much the game has deteriorated in this new age of screens and analytics over the traditional baseball ways of learning and teaching the game. And then there is the loss of accountability; no one ever seems to be held responsible for their mental mistakes even when they all seem to forget the outs.

This past week we got the one play that sums up Baseball 2026 — and that play is the one-out, double no tag-up double play in Toronto on Monday between the Red Sox and Blue Jays when it appears no one knew the outs. Eventually the Red Sox were awarded the run because the runner at third, who left early, touched home plate before the final out of the seventh inning was made at first base on that runner who also left early.

The two Red Sox baserunners, the Blue Jays pitcher and catcher. The official scorer. The league’s scoreboard operator. The first and third base coaches. All were clueless on the outs.

It wasn’t just a question of forgetting the outs – that sometimes happens – but it showed how screens have become lords to the players. A screen, the centerfield scoreboard was playing Baseball God — and the players, who nowadays have to look at a card just to position themselves on the field or look at a screen to come up with a hitting game plan, played right along.

They are all-in on a screen telling them what to do. Baseball instincts are dying. It all makes you want to scream, screen scream.

The scoreboard said there were two outs (so there must be two outs, right?) even though it was first and third and only one out. The runner at third, Anthony Seigler – who singled to lead off the inning – did not tag up on Ceddanne Rafaela’s fly to center to try to score but jogged home when the ball was hit. The runner at first was Nick Sogard, who had just hit a one-hop ball to first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. that Vlad threw to second for the force out to retire Connor Wong, who had singled for the first out of the inning. Sogard took off before the catch was made in center and was rounding second by the time rookie centerfielder Brett Bateman threw the ball back into the infield.

It reminded me of that season four episode of The Office where Michael Scott blindly follows his GPS navigation system and drives his rental car straight into a lake while Dwight Schrute screams in panic, “This is the lake.’’

In the end it was not a lake, but it was a double play with a run somehow scored. If the Blue Jays had thrown to third base for the doubling up of Seigler – the lead runner – the run, of course, would not have counted. By the time they figured it all out and threw to first to get Sogard, Seigler was safe at home even though he never tagged up. It is the defense’s responsibility to get the third out before the runner crosses the plate. A tag up is timing play and not a force.

In the end, the players believed the scoreboard instead of trusting themselves to count all the way to three.

The Blue Jays also could have appealed that Seigler left early to get the “fourth’’ out of the inning. Overkill is good, especially in the age of replay when calls are reversed. They made the mistake of believing the inning was over at three outs and ran off the field as the run at home was initially waved off by the homeplate umpire. That changed.

Let me make my next point by using another screen, the movie screen, and the classic comedy Animal House, “Flounder, you can’t spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes. You f— up, you trusted us.’’

The players, coaches and managers trusted the screen, the scoreboard, and trusted the wave off.

In the end, the players believed the scoreboard instead of trusting themselves to count all the way to three. It is really not that hard fellas, one out, two outs, three outs. As my old high school coach Nelson Gibble used to do to players who forgot the outs at David Brearley Regional High School seven years before the premier of Animal House, he used to make those players carry three small rocks in their back pocket and transfer the rocks from one pocket to the other after each out was made.

That is one way to learn how to keep track of the outs. But that would never fly in today’s game because you can’t dare ever embarrass a player.

The bottom line is that if the Red Sox and everyone else knew the outs, it would not have turned out that way, and as it turned out, that was Boston’s only run of the game in the 2-1 loss. If they really knew the outs, maybe Seigler would have tagged up on the play and scored or perhaps he would have held up and just maybe the next hitter slugger Wilyer Abreu might have homered. Abreu never got up until the eighth. Bottom line: Know the outs.

As the Angels Turn

This item is about screens, too, and other technology. According to reports, interim GM John Mozeliak said the Angels have technology and information on par with the rest of the majors, and it was noted that he’s confident it is being used properly by the offensive staff – but the pitching operation needed and urgent overhaul; that is why Mike Maddux, Darryl Scott and Dom Chiti were fired this week. They were not Nerdy enough for Mo’s liking.

“Just making sure that the Angels are up to speed with that and leveraging this,’’ Mozeliak explained of his decision.

Well, isn’t that interesting. If I have this straight, then pitching changes had to be made because the Angels are 24th in ERA with a 4.49 mark, got it, so overhaul needed. Fire all the pitching coaches.

As for the offensive staff, the hitting coaches, and their technology world that Big Mo said the Angels are using “properly’’. Wouldn’t you know it, the Angels rank 27th in OPS at. 695. 27^th, three spots worse than the pitching group.

Okay, Mo. Anything you say. It is the pitching coaches’ fault for not using enough technology but over on the hitting side the technology used is up to speed, even though the Angels hitters are three slots behind the Angels pitchers. As one longtime baseball man told BallNine: “The Angels are still the Angels.’’

Quote of the Week

Let’s go back to the Blue Jays and rookie centerfielder Brett Bateman, who came over from the Cubs in the trade for pitcher Kevin Gausman because Pete Crow-Armstrong blocked his path in Chicago. Bateman, 24, is off to a good start and has helped wake up the Blue Jays offense that has been stuttering all season. “It’s baseball, right?’’ Bateman, the son of a college baseball coach told Minneapolis KSTP’s Darren Wolfson. “They have a ball and they’ve got to throw it over the plate. As long as you’re on time for the heater, you’re gonna make a good decision.’’ At AAA, Bateman hit .312. “Don’t change anything because you are in the big leagues,’’ he added. His first hit was a double off the Phillies Zack Wheeler. “Get your foot down on time for the heater.’’

Junior and the All-Stars

The red-hot Rays (74-46) have opened a big AL East lead over the Run It Back Yankees, winning their ninth straight game Wednesday, an 8-4 victory over the hapless Athletics, a team I am anxiously awaiting to win their first Moneyball Championship. Third baseman Junior Caminero picked up two more hits. His 35 home runs tie him for the major league home run lead, along with Yordan Alvarez, Matt Olson and Kyle Schwarber. Caminero posts a .923 OPS, second only to Alvarez’ 1.057 in the AL. Caminero is only 23 and has hit 80 home runs over his last 274 games. Imagine how his power bat would lift the under-.500 Guardians, who are 28th in home runs with 116? I’m tired of hearing about how smart the Cleveland front office is all the time, a mediocre team in a terrible division. This was the worst trade in Cleveland’s history, sending Caminero to the Rays after the 2021 season for reliever Tobias Myers. Rocky Colavito for the Tigers’ Harvey Kuenn in 1960 and Norm Cash for the Tigers Steve Demeter in 1956, were the leaders in the clubhouse but this trade will hurt the Guardians for many years. Colavito and Cash were both 26 when they were dealt away by the team then known as the Indians.

Pirates Sinking Ship

It is bad enough the Pirates are once again in last place in the NL Central – 16.5 games back of the Brewers and are six back in the Wild Card, needing to jump four teams – but it appears that they are wasting the Paul Skenes years as well. Skenes’ velocity is down and his ERA is up. You could not have messed it up worse if you tried because even Skenes’ trade value has dipped. His last outing was only five innings in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins, and he threw only 65 pitches. Over his last 16 starts Skenes has a 3-9 record with a 5.00 ERA. Curt Schilling, who should be in the Hall of Fame, has been critical of Skenes mechanics for quite some time. In general, of MLB pitching, Schilling said: “Pitching is so broken it’s breathtaking.’’

Have to agree with the guy who has a lifetime 216-146 record plus 11-2 in the postseason. Remember all the safeguards the Pirates did by limiting Skenes’ innings in the minors and such. How is that working out for you now Ben Cherington & Company? It always comes back to mechanics, and you have to have the pitching coaches who can keep the mechanics in proper shape, not someone who just reads metrics.