During Saturday night’s game, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado attempted a hidden ball trick against the Boston Red Sox’s Jarren Duran in the third inning, but it ended up backfiring. The play was called a balk because pitcher Wandy Peralta was standing on the pitching rubber without the ball, allowing Duran to score and giving the Red Sox a 2-1 lead.
The unusual sequence began after Alex Bregman was caught in a rundown on the previous play, which left Machado holding the ball. When Duran took his lead at third base, Machado tagged him, which under normal conditions would have resulted in an out. However, since Peralta was on the rubber without the ball, the balk rule was invoked, negating the out and permitting the run.
Rules Behind the Balk That Nullified the Play
The balk rule, outlined in Rule 6.02(a)(9), states that a balk occurs if the pitcher stands on or astride the pitcher’s plate without the ball or feints a pitch. In this situation, Peralta’s position on the mound without the ball was deemed a pitch feint, triggering the balk and voiding Machado’s attempt at the hidden ball trick.
This interpretation of the balk rule often causes confusion due to its vagueness, but in this case, it directly impacted the play‘s outcome and allowed Duran to advance home.
Padres Manager Reflects on the Misstep During the Play
Padres manager Mike Shildt took partial responsibility for the miscue, admitting the team did not prepare sufficiently for this uncommon play during spring training. He praised Machado’s baseball intelligence despite the error.
“I thought it was a great baseball play. I’ll take some responsibility,”
Shildt said.
“We want to work on everything that can possibly happen in spring training. It’s my miss that we didn’t. You just can’t be on the rubber when that happens. But Manny’s IQ shows up again. Just something we didn’t work on. He was on the rubber. But he had him.”
—Mike Shildt, Padres manager
Game Outcome and Historical Context of the Hidden Ball Trick
Despite the failed attempt and the run scored against them, the Padres ultimately secured a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox, thanks to Ramón Laureano‘s walk-off single in the tenth inning. This win improved San Diego’s record to 65-52, keeping them three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West standings.
The hidden ball trick is an infrequently successful play, with the last documented successful attempt occurring in 2013. Then-Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria executed it against the Dodgers by tagging out Juan Uribe after receiving the ball from shortstop Yunel Escobar following a sacrifice fly.