After a wild pitch, Phillies prove how hard it can be to find a baseball
Phillies lose ball in dirt, can't find it behind ump
According to MLB's Official Rules, a regulation-size baseball cannot measure "less than nine nor more than 9 1/4 inches in circumference." In other words, it's not exactly the largest ball in the sports universe. Certainly small enough to get lost behind an umpire's pant leg:
A pitch from Jerome Williams bounced in the dirt and got away from Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp in the second inning of their game against the Mets on Wednesday. And it stayed away.
Partly obscured by home-plate umpire Dan Bellino, the ball remained hidden from Rupp for nearly 10 frantic seconds. You can see the panic flash across his face -- if only he knew how close the ball really was. It's like when you think you've lost your phone and you twist wildly around scanning for every possible spot, only to realize it was in your pocket the whole time.
Fortunately, a runner doesn't advance to second base every time you lose your phone. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for obscured baseballs at home plate.