SAN FRANCISCO // The San Francisco Giants catcher Bengie Molina became the first player to hit a home run and have another player receive credit for scoring it during a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Molina ripped a line drive to right field at AT&T Park off Dodgers reliever Scott Proctor that hit near the top of the 25ft wall and bounced back into play. The hit was ruled a single by first base umpire Chuck Meriwether.
Emmanuel Burriss was then inserted as a pinch-runner and Giants manager Bruce Bochy came out to question the call and ask for a review - the first replay in AT&T Park history. After reviewing the play, the umpires reversed the call and ruled it a home run. Because Burriss was announced into the game, he completed the trot around the bases, while Molina was credited with a home run, two RBI but no run scored following a 14-minute delay.
"Bochy wanted to reinsert Molina into the game but he doesn't get another bite at that," chief umpire Tim Welke said. "We know the rules. Once a pinch runner touches a base he's in the game whether he's put in or not. Bochy wanted to protest the game. You cannot go back and revisit history. "In retrospect, he should have come out and discussed it before [using] the pinch runner. There is a rule that covers pinch runners and that's the one we went by. All we have is the rules. This was a learning experience for everybody. The system worked and we got it right."
The ruling by the umpires to not allow Molina to run the bases, prompted Bochy to play the rest of the game under protest. Burriss is hoping this cements his place in baseball history. "I'm hoping they have the Manny Burriss rule now," he said. "Maybe something good can happen out of it and I can get in the history books and that'll be nice, especially since we won. * PA Sport
