Every time you go to the park, the saying goes in baseball, you have a chance to see something you’ve never seen before.
Eric Wedge has more than five decades of experience in the game and the Wichita State coach saw something he’s never seen before in Shockers’ 13-7 win over New Mexico on Sunday afternoon at Eck Stadium.
Before the specifics, here’s the gist: what should have been a bases-clearing grand slam to put WSU up 14-0 in the fifth inning turned into an inning-ending double play with two runs coming off the scoreboard due to confusion on the base paths by the Shockers.
“It was a teaching moment for all of us,” Wedge said. “You know what, it’s not something you’re going to get on people because it all comes from a good place, but ultimately that could have been the difference in a game if we weren’t up by so much already.”
One of the most bizarre plays you will ever see in baseball happened today in Wichita State’s win over New Mexico.
What should have been a grand slam turned into an inning-ending double play from the confusion on the basepaths between the hitter and runner on first base. pic.twitter.com/tThNhajRUt
— Taylor Eldridge (@tayloreldridge) March 20, 2022
Here was the situation: Sawyre Thornhill was at the plate with a full count and the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning.
When Thornhill launched the 3-2 pitch more than 400 feet over the center-field wall, he knew it was gone as soon as it left his bat. But Brock Rodden, the runner on first base, was told to tag up if there was a fly ball to the outfield.
Rodden heard the roar from the crowd when the ball went over the fence and mistakenly thought it was for a catch in the outfield. It was a bizarre scene watching Rodden dart back to first base in what he thought was an attempt to tag up, then seeing Thornhill cruise past him on his celebration trot around the bases.
“When I hit it, I was just watching the ball, so I never even saw Brock when I passed him,” Thornhill said. “Even when I got to home plate, I still thought it was a grand slam. Then I look back and Brock is on second base.
The confusion only continued from there.
While Thornhill was oblivious to what had happened, Rodden was confused what to do watching the runner behind him pass him and then score. The first-base umpire immediately recognized what happened and called Thornhill out as soon as he crossed home plate.
“When the umpire called Sawyre out, Brock thought the umpire was talking to him,” Wedge said. “So he didn’t finish the play and didn’t go all the way around the bases.”
Rodden, who has hit nearly .500 the last two weeks for WSU, walked off the field after rounding third base in the confusion.
After a video review by the umpires, they confirmed that Thornhill was out as soon as he passed Rodden at first base and then called Rodden out when he walked off the field.
The should-have-been grand slam was logged into the official scorer’s book as a 2-RBI single and perhaps the first double play in the history of baseball where the ball actually left the yard.
“I’ve never seen or heard of that happening ever before,” said Thornhill, who extended his hitting streak to 18 games with the play.