Forced out at home from the outfield

While searching for more odd plays from last week. I noticed a peculiar event during a Red Sox game. With the based loaded, a 7-2 force out at home plate. The next batter, Carl Crawford, would get the walk-off single. So that got me wondering, when was the last outfield to catcher force out?

Back to Retrosheet*

* I should really write the book: Game Ending Intentional Walks and Other Oddities from the Retrosheet Files.

As it turns out, Retrosheet reveals 22 such events since 1950.

GAMEEVENTOUTS_ON_PLAYASSISTPUTOUTEVENT_TEXTEND_INN_PEND_GAME_P
SLN195505130219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
DET195806270219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2#FF
CHA196207041218282(3)/FO.2-3;1-2#FF
PIT196609010219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
SFN196904250219292(3)/FO.1-2;2-3FF
SDN197109100219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
ATL197209130217272(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
MIN197207100219292(3)/FO.1-2;2-3FF
BAL197605170217272(3)/FO.2-H(NR)(UR)(E2/TH);1-2TT
SDN197708102218282(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
LAN198007060219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
CHN198008061219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
CIN198409170218282(3)/FO/G.2-3;1-2;B-1FF
SDN198509060217272(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
SDN198604150219292(3)/FO/G.2-3;1-2;B-1FF
PIT198806280217272(3)/FO/F7S.2-3;1-2;B-1FF
CIN199509190219292(3)/FO/L9S.2-3;1-2FF
SLN200309200218282(3)/FO/G.2-3;1-2FF
SLN200604270219292(3)/FO/F.2-3;1-2;B-1FF
PIT200707200219292(3)/FO/F.2-3;1-2FF
ARI200905090219292(3)/FO.2-3;1-2FF
BOS200907110219292(3)/FO/L.2-3;1-2FF

Yet another strange ending to a game. On May 17, 1976, the Brewers forced a runner at home from the outfield. But catcher Darrell Porter made a throwing error attempting to get a double play. The run scored on the play, allowing the Orioles to come back after being down 3-0 to start the eighth. Oops.

Interesting to find out, though, that beyond that there is no record in Retrosheet of a game ending on a outfield-to-home force out.


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Steve
12 years ago

If I am reading the games correctly, that Tigers game was June 27, 1958 and Kaline threw the runner out at home for the force.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=195806270DET
What an arm and player Kaline was.

Ja4ed
12 years ago

I wonder how many of those were with an outfielder moved into the infield, so the defense was playing with five infielders?

Mat Kovach
12 years ago

@dfan
I just happen to be watching TV when that played happened. Since I was doing some research on unassisted double plays by outfields this got folded into it. I honestly thought it would happen a bit more.

@Steve
Kaline is somebody that always seems to come up in my research for doing something “unique’‘. Heck of a player.

@Ja4ed that is a good question, something that is hard to determine just from the data I had. Figuring that out is on the list.

chris
12 years ago

Mat – could you possibly look at batted ball location for each of these to determine where it was fielded? i know that is in retrosheet, but not sure how far back it goes.

dfan
12 years ago

If you’re wondering how it happened, Lowrie hit a high pop-up to shallow left that seemed perfectly likely to be caught, but no one got there in time. When it landed, Iglesias had to run home, but he was out by a mile.