TORONTO -- One play was the talk of the visiting clubhouse at Rogers Centre late Sunday afternoon. It was a play that didn’t go the Orioles’ way, but many -- including players, manager Craig Albernaz and Baltimore fans -- felt should have.
If you watched the series finale at Rogers Centre, you already know what play is being referenced here. But let’s recap it first.
In the sixth inning of the Orioles’ 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays, O’s shortstop Gunnar Henderson nearly turned an unassisted double play to end the frame. He fielded a grounder off the bat of Brandon Valenzuela, attempted to tag Ernie Clement -- who veered out of the way between first and second -- and threw to Pete Alonso at first.
Henderson visibly stuck out his glove to show he was trying to apply it to Clement. But second-base umpire Nic Lentz determined Clement would not be ruled out, and the play is not one eligible to be challenged via replay review. Because of that, a run scored on the play, as Toronto cut Baltimore’s lead to 4-2.
The Blue Jays went on to score three more runs after that in a five-run frame that changed the course of the game.
Albernaz, who rushed onto the field, later said he was told by Lentz that Clement established a baseline outside of his running path and that Henderson’s tag attempt wasn’t adequate.
It left many on the O’s side confused.
“I don't think you can do that when you're halfway down the baseline, and when I make an attempt to tag and you run another five feet out of the way,” Henderson said. “I’m not going to go chase him to right field when I'm trying to turn a double play there. He's only allotted so many feet to be considered in the baseline, and if you make a loop and slide to where you can't even reach second base in the next two steps, I don't really understand that.”
“I think when you stick a glove out to tag somebody, that’s an attempt to tag,” Albernaz added. “There’s no rule about how far you have to extend your arm to tag somebody.”
Here’s the explanation that Lentz provided to a pool reporter following the game:
“The runner has the right to establish his basepath, and so, Clement had established his basepath to avoid the fielder from potential interference,” Lentz said. “Even though Henderson reached out for a tag, Clement's basepath was already established out there, going to the second base, so therefore it was not out of the baseline. ... That means he is not in violation of leaving that three-foot basepath when there's a tag attempt. ...
“He went out there to avoid the fielder from fielding the ball, and so once he was out there, that makes it his established basepath.”
Crew chief Hunter Wendelstedt called Clement’s move “a very gentlemanly thing to do” in his comments to a pool reporter.
Various members of the Orioles took accountability for other moments that led to their defeat.
Henderson committed an error on a routine one-out grounder to short before that play, which is how Clement got on first.
“I should have made the play before,” Henderson said, “so can't put it all on one play.”
O’s starter Shane Baz also acknowledged he could have prevented the Blue Jays’ rally from escalating. After Valenzuela’s groundout and the confusion surrounding Clement’s move on the basepath, Baz gave up an RBI single to Kazuma Okamoto and a game-tying RBI double to Andrés Giménez.
Baz exited before completing the sixth -- showing visible frustration during an emotional departure from the field -- and Toronto took the lead on Nathan Lukes’ pinch-hit RBI infield single off Yennier Cano.
“That wasn’t really what killed me. What killed me was the next two at-bats,” said Baz, who hadn’t allowed a run before the sixth. “I think I was a little bit predictable, and I think that’s what ultimately caused the big inning.”
As for the play featuring Henderson and Clement?
“The only reason that I’m not going to talk about that play is because I will get fined,” Baz said. “So, that’s the only reason.”
Meanwhile, down in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, Clement thought the play was called correctly.
“The runner gets to create their own lane. I guess I created it early enough to where it wasn’t out of the basepath,” Clement said. “[Henderson] didn’t really make an attempt to tag me. It’s really umpire discretion.”
The Orioles’ frustration was elevated because they were so close to securing another series win against an American League East rival. They took two of three from the Red Sox last week in Boston, and they built a 4-0 lead in Sunday’s rubber game vs. the Blue Jays.
Now, the O’s must refocus and regroup quickly, as they return home to open a four-game series against the AL West-leading Mariners on Monday night.
“Definitely frustrating, especially when you put up four runs against a really good pitcher in [Toronto starter] Kevin Gausman,” Albernaz said. “That’s the frustrating part.”