OAKLAND, Calif. — Even on a day when he wasn’t pitching, Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi ended up proper in the midst of the motion.
Not in a method he wished, although.
Kikuchi price his staff an out by bolting from the dugout and colliding with an opponent on a weird and wild play within the tenth inning of Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Athletics.
With the Blue Jays main 6-3 within the high of the tenth, Davis Schneider lofted a popup into foul territory close to Toronto’s dugout on the first-base aspect on the Coliseum. Blue Jays gamers watching from in entrance of the bench scattered as Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom pursued the ball.
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Kikuchi, making an attempt to get out of the way in which rapidly, ran towards the sphere and crashed proper into Soderstrom. Each gamers have been knocked down because the ball fell to the bottom.
An incredulous Soderstrom held out each arms after placing his cap again on, and Kikuchi held out his hand as if to apologize.
The umpires acquired collectively and dominated Schneider out attributable to obstruction on a red-faced Kikuchi, the second out of the inning.
“Clearly, I used to be embarrassed on the market,” Kikuchi mentioned by way of an interpreter. “It is in all probability going viral proper now.
“I really feel unhealthy, and I wish to apologize.”
Toronto supervisor John Schneider conceded Soderstrom in all probability would have caught the ball.
“I feel it sort of landed proper the place they collided, however no ailing intent by any means with Yusei making an attempt to get in the way in which,” Schneider mentioned. “He is making an attempt to permit him to make a play, so that you name obstruction after which the batter’s out. In all probability the precise name. I am simply glad nobody was damage.”
The Blue Jays defeated the A’s 6-4 in 10 innings.
“I used to be simply operating for the ball,” Soderstrom mentioned afterward. “Clearly, numerous foul territory right here. Simply making an attempt to make a play on the ball and, sort of final second, tried to make a transfer to my left, and there was Kikuchi.”
The Coliseum is the one main league stadium that does not have railings in entrance of its dugouts.
“I sort of realized final minute that the dugout in Oakland does not have a fence,” Kikuchi mentioned. “I simply realized a bit of too late there.
“I simply wished to create a bit of gap and conceal inside it, as a result of I used to be a bit of embarrassed.”
The groups shouted forwards and backwards after the play, however cooler heads prevailed, and gamers remained of their dugouts.
“I feel he was simply making an attempt to actually get out of the way in which, so he did not get hit with the foul ball, and inadvertently sort of laid his shoulder into Tyler,” A’s supervisor Mark Kotsay mentioned. “Grateful that Tyler wasn’t damage on the play. The umpires acquired collectively and acquired the decision proper.”