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An independent Atlantic League professional baseball player (ALPB) entered the history Saturday in Maryland by becoming the first baseball player to steal the first goal of a professional match.
At a game opposing the South Carolina Blue Crabs and the Lancaster Barnstormers, Tony Thomas, 33, was batting late in the 6th inning, when a wandering throw bounced behind the catcher. and towards the back.
Thanks to a new experimental rule change in the Atlantic League, he was able to fly first and get into history.
The rule states that the batters may "steal" the first goal on any pitch that is not caught in flight and that the batter may be deported if he tries to run, according to a MLB press release / ALPB describing the changes.
"It was just something I would never have thought of being part of," said Thomas. "The [pitcher] was on the mound, was not uniform around the attack zone and I found a way to bring our team to the base and the opportunity arose. It was not something I thought about, but when I saw the ball stuck under the backdrop, I realized that I had no chance of getting myself out to first base, so I took off and I left. "
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He continued: "Looking back to see where the ball went, I actually saw [the catcher] Anderson sticking his hand to the referee for the ball because he's [usually an] automatic ball passed. I saw him submerge and I took off because I knew that at that time of the game, our team needed basic runners. "
The touch player managed to reach the first goal without starting the receiver on a 0-1 account.
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The home marble umpire, Brian de Brauwere, left, wore a headset during the first leg of the Atlantic League All-Star Game last Wednesday in York, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo / Julio Cortez)
The use of electronic strike zones, called "robot referees", also made its debut in the independent league. Last Wednesday, during the Atlantic League all – star game, the marble umpire had a headphone hooked up on an iPhone that was following the bullets and strikes with the help of. a radar.
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Other changes include moving the pitcher's mound to increase offensive production and allowing a player a cargo on two shots before he is called. In the MLB, if a player subtracts the foul with two strikes, he is automatically excluded.
"We have to see how it works, first in the Atlantic League, then probably elsewhere, that is to say in other parts of the minor league baseball, before moving on to Major League Baseball. We feel that it's up to us to determine if we can make it work, and that's what we do, "said Manfred.
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