High School Baseball controversy

[baseball2024]

Hello,

Hope this is the right place to post this. There was a high school state championship baseball game in Southern California last weekend that ended in controversy. In fact, it is probably one of the most controversial situations that I've ever heard about in sports, pro or non-pro.

The team that was behind, Moorpark High, hit a walk off home run to end the game against Hart High. However, after initially ruling it a home run giving the win to Moorpark, the umpires reversed their call and called it a ground rule double, saying it didn't clear the fence, hence giving Hart the win. Moorpark High is officially protesting the game, parents are in social media wars and it is really out of hand and the talk of the sports community.

The reason I am posting it here is I believe it is the only place it can be solved. There are multiple videos out there of the play - some that show it going over the fence as a home run, and some that show it landing before the fence as a double. I've watched all the videos and I honestly don't know which video is correct as they all provide evidence for both a homer and a double. I'm sure someone on here can solve the discrepancies between the videos.

Below are some of the different videos circulating. There are others out there, there are also some photos. Please weigh in as to your thoughts if this ball cleared the fence. It would mean a lot to so many to solve this conclusively.

Thank you


Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-oMNogk7HYw


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMZtLYlGaJs


Source: https://x.com/jkahn_5/status/1792006598321184904


Source: https://x.com/Basebology_/status/1792245690254417990

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/moorpark-hart-high-school-walk-off-controversy-19468537.php#

 

[Mendel]

For the non-Americans:

Article:

An automatic double is the term used to refer to a fairly hit ball leaving the field in circumstances that do not merit a home run, such as when the ball's first bounce was within the field. The automatic double (or rule-book double) is commonly called a ground rule double.[1]

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_rule_double

Article:

Unlike the well-defined playing field of most other sports, the playing area of a baseball field extends to an outfield fence in fair territory and the stadium seating in foul territory.

The term [ground rules] is familiar to most fans through the ground rule double, a batted ball that bounces fair, then over the outfield fence in fair or foul territory for a two-base hit.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_rules

The other possibility (and the initial judgment) here is that the ball did not touch the ground, going over the fence directly.

 

[deirdre]

I'm sure someone on here can solve the discrepancies between the videos.

what discrepancies? every video you posted is the exact same video. (except a tiny bit of your twitter one which we cant see... where is the original video for that one?)

you can tell by the body language of everyone on the field (esp the outfielder who was right there) and the fans who are closer, that it hit in and bounced out. teams dont stand around the field when a ball goes over the fence. and fans dont stay seated.

 

[Ann K]

Below are some of the different videos circulating. There are others out there, there are also some photos. Please weigh in as to your thoughts if this ball cleared the fence. It would mean a lot to so many to solve this conclusively.

I watched the videos at slow speed. No, it clearly didn't make it. I think the initial confusion is because the ball was somewhat shadowed by the light pole just at the point where it went in front of the fence, and if I had just watched the first one I would have called it outside the fence.

 

[MonkeeSage]

Welcome to metabunk @baseball2024! I found a twitter thread with a series of photos from a different angle with much higher resolution and one of them shows the ball was definitely inside the fence.

Source: x.com/Wertzy18/status/1791989595288277476


Here's a composite of 7 images from these two posts (3 from the first and 4 from the second).
x.com/Wertzy18/status/1791989606873010267/
x.com/Wertzy18/status/1791989609242755245/

I skipped the 4th image from the first post because the runner's helmet is blocking the ball. I drew a yellow dot where the ball would be, and then in the 3rd picture from the second post where the outfielder's elbow is blocking it.


And here are direct links to the source images:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5swX3bIAAxj-k?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5swX5aMAAqEcH?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5swX7bcAALQXB?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5s0NjaYAAvsGU?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5s0Noa4AAxTIf?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5s0NwbYAAy1hi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GN5s0NuaIAAooGz?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

 

[Skalman]

This is the most controversial situation in sports you've ever heard of? What about Maradona's "hand of God" in the 1986 World Cup? Geoff Hurst's second goal in the 1966 World Cup final? Karl Schranz 's slalom rerun at the 1968 Winter Olympics? The handling of Kamila Valieva's doping case during the 2022 Olympics? The final seconds of the 1972 Olympics men's basketball final? Therese Johaug's doping case? The 1968 Olympics black power salute? The 1936 Berlin Olympics happening at all?

And yeah, the ball clearly bounced on the inside first.

 

[JAFO]

First watching the video it appeared that the ball could have grazed the foul pole and possibly been redirected onto the playing field. After viewing Mike Wertz's images it is clear that the ball didn't have the chance of being a home run.
https://x.com/Wertzy18

 

[Landru]

The controversy stems from videos that appear to show the ball going over the fence (possibly due to the camera video skipping).
Source: https://youtu.be/9ZwjKgYcfa8?si=VDr4OccsE0D150lS
Matt Antonelli dissects this video starting at the 25 second mark. At about 4:10 he comments that the video does not show the ball coming down in the field (which other videos show).

 

[deirdre]

The controversy stems from videos that appear to show the ball going over the fence (possibly due to the camera video skipping).

liekly due to the super low resolution and the fact that he is watching a video that stops at the fence then reverses. In a good resolution video that is not edited at all, we see the ball in the next frame below the fence...not bouncing back up over it.






The issue i saw the most is it looks like it went over and the times we see it in the black area going upward is just us seeing it through the fence. but the fence is solid...no gaps.



Source: https://x.com/Tarek_Fattal/status/1792012849503752591