During the 2015 Little League World Series Northwest Regional games, Cascade Little League
in Vancouver, Washington, had experienced one of the most unfortunate endings to an
All Star season.
Find out what happened next.
Cascade was confident heading into the regional tournament for good reasons.
In five games during the state tournament Cascade outscored its opponents 58-18 and
hit 11 home runs, including five in a 15-6 championship game win over Mercer Island.
Teams that typically make it past the State level don’t get there by mistake.
With over 7,000 teams starting in what is the largest team sport tournament in the world,
making it to the top 100 remaining teams takes planning and Cascade’s team was no exception.
In the years leading up to the 2015 tournament, 9 of the players on the team were part of
a team which played several travel tournaments in the region.
Williamsport was always the ultimate goal and this was their one year to make that happen
and everything was falling into place.
The chance to get to Williamsport to play in the Little League World Series
happens once, when you're twelve. When you're a 12 year old little league player,
and your the manager or the coach of a twelve year old little league team, that's your one chance.
This brings us to the final game.
Cascade is behind in the bottom of the six inning in an elimination game.
Starting the last inning behind was not a new situation.
So in this semi final game where the loser goes home and the winning team plays for their
chance to go to Williamsport, Cascade was just two wins away from their dream but trailing
in the bottom of the 6th by two runs.
Then the following happens . . .
Ground ball to third.
May takes his time....throws wildly.
Now he has two runners near 3rd base.
Throw comes back to 2nd base, they have a run down.
A run scores, this is the tying run being chased towards third.
and now they lose the ball there.
And the runner's down to 2nd as well.
The game continues as 8-7.
The tying run at third and now the winning run at 2nd as Idaho had a couple of chances to end it but could not.
Very tough play here to make...AND NOW....
The run comes home, but time had been called as we take a look at the play.
And they're going to end the game. We're going to watch this play...
because something shocking has just happened to end the game.
The third base umpire,
has ended the game. The runner from third started to come home,
to tie the game...
...but they're saying there must have been some kind of contact between that 3rd base coach and the runner.
and Idaho has won this game in a bizarre fashion.
Bizarre to say the least. I am speachless.
But the umpires made the call. The third base umpire
George Rodriguez, made the call.
Idaho has asked for time. This is near the end of the play
you see the runner at third. They are asking for time.
He tapped his runner. He touched his runner and moved him towards the plate.
and that's the reason the call was made by the 3rd base umpire.
if he verbally told him to go....it looked like play was live. That would have been the tying run.
You're absolutely right. Time had not been called.
You can see the umpire standing behind 3rd base waiting patiently for something like this to happen
and you see the coach inciting him here verbally, he doesn't get the message
and then you see the physical prompt and that is exactly what can not happen.
There can not be physical contact between any member of the coaching staff
and the player while the ball is live, and a tough break for the kids of Cascade.
Wow, what a crazy finish.
coaches interference with the runner ends the game and you can understand the disappointment.
Coaches made a small mistake that costed them big.
but now what's more admirable then how far this team went in the season
is how they are staying positive and supportive despite what happened.
We just tied the game we have a shot at winning.
But then we rewind to see what happened the seconds before.
Mason didn't initially hear me, so I touched him to get his attention, and in the umpire's judgement that was assisting.
And assisting is illegal.
He's within his right to make that call.
The chance to get to Williamsport to play in the Little League World Series
happens once, when you're twelve. When you're a 12 year old little league player,
and your the manager or the coach of a twelve year old little league team, that's your one chance.
And this is our chance and to have it end because of something I did
I'll have to live with that.
Although Coach McCarthy is clearly upset...
I apologized to the kids immediately after the game
I apologized to their parents.
The boys on the Cascade Little League team are proud of their coach.
I got Brendon's back 100%.
He did what he did and the umpire made his call and that's it.
Mason added that in the end their run was good and worth it
to make it to regionals.
For the record, the base coach is not allowed to make any contact
whatsoever if it’s deemed to assist the runner.
It doesn’t matter if he’s in the coach's box or not
and it does not matter if it’s a very slight touch or an out right push.
The rule 7.09(h) reads, “It is interference if in the judgement of the umpire, the base coach
at third base or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists that runner in returning to or leaving third or first base.”
So giving a high five or patting them on the back as they round a base on a good hit or
home run is not considered assisting, but this case is clear textbook
interference and an out.
The coach taps him twice and then pushes him to go.
I also find it interesting that while the local news station had clear HD video available
to them of this play, they choose to show the most blurry replay possible.
Why?
Because it’s obvious even to a novice player that this was the right call by the third
base umpire.
No one could argue it wasn’t the right call.