Why the Pirates and Orioles played the bottom of the 9th inning without umpires in spring training game

David Suggs

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Why the Pirates and Orioles played the bottom of the 9th inning without umpires in spring training game image

They made their way to the diamond solemnly, Orioles players scattering across the infield in the bottom of the ninth inning like petals on a blistery spring day. Pirates batter Andres Alvarez was there too, monitoring the situation from 60 feet and six inches away.

But in the backstop was a void, one that loomed all the more large when Baltimore right-hander Ofreidy Gómez started slinging pitches towards the plate.

You see, the umpiring crew, led by home plate ace Chad Fairchild, had deserted the field by then. For good reason, too: the O's, down 7-4, were the visiting team. They already batted in the top of the ninth and failed to mount a rally. The game was, for all intents and purposes, over.

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde and Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton thought otherwise, however. The pair had agreed to bring their teams out for the bottom half an inning before; Hyde wanted to get another inning of pitching under his staff's belt.

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The two sides agreed to the conditions. It seems Fairchild and company were not quite as accommodating.

“We were told by the league we could clear it by the umpires and pitch the bottom half of the ninth inning, and I guess Chad Fairchild felt like we couldn’t,” Hyde said, per the Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka.

The result? A simulated half-inning without umpires. The optics took social media by storm.

Baltimore catcher Maverick Handley took on the responsibility of calling balls and strikes. He was, unsurprisingly, complimentary of his framing skills.

“A little back-field action,” Hyde said, alluding to simulated spring training fixtures getting played on a practice field.

Gómez came out of the inning unscathed, save for a solitary hit. Nevertheless, it was a sight even the most hardcore baseball fans will likely not see again.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.