Seattle Mariners superstar pitcher Felix Hernandez was called for defensive interference on a play which he narrowly avoided serious injury in a minor collision at first base during Tuesday night's game in the Bronx against the New York Yankees.It happened in the bottom of the fourth inning as Yankees batter Lyle Overbay hit a grounder past first base that was tracked down by Mariners second baseman Robert Andino. Hernandez and first baseman Kendrys Morales ran to first and arrived at almost the same time. As Morales settled into position at first for the putout, Hernandez jumped back from the bag but put himself in a spot between Overbay and the base. Overbay braced himself to minimize the collision with Hernandez, but his knee accidentally clipped the back of the right knee of Hernandez. Fortunately, neither Overbay or Hernandez were seriously hurt on the play.
Afterwards, Yankees manager Joe Girardi argued that Overbay couldn't get to the base due to the interference by Hernandez. After some deliberation, the umpires agreed and awarded Overbay first base. Hernandez was given an error on the play.
The play didn't make a difference in terms of the game, as the Yankees did not score in the inning and Hernandez was able to pitch through the sixth. However, the play could have had huge ramifications if Hernandez was hurt and had to miss some games due to injury. The Mariners have a lot of money invested in Hernandez, so they better hope he's a little more careful the next time around.
Video via MLB.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
