Umpire’s Call Leads to Moan of Arcadia

When is a walk-off grand slam not a walk-off grand slam? Members of the Arcadia High junior varsity baseball team found out the hard way in a game against Crescenta Valley on Friday.

Arcadia trailed, 6-4, with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh and final inning when Eric Rider hit what appeared to be a home run.

The runner on first base, Ian Kammerer, who was waiting between first and second to see whether the ball cleared the fence, waited for Rider to catch up to him so he could high-five him. As they celebrated, Rider apparently jumped in front of Kammerer.

The plate umpire ruled that Rider was out for passing a baserunner. The umpire also ruled that only one run had scored before the infraction took place, so two runners were sent back out. Then the final out was recorded, and instead of Arcadia winning, 8-6, Crescenta Valley won, 6-5.

“We went from an all-time high to an all-time low,” Coach Bill Morgan said.

Trivia time: Adam Davis set a University of Florida record with 10 runs batted in to help the Gators beat Tennessee, 18-9, Saturday. Who is the former Angel who shared the previous record of nine RBIs?

The correct call: Ken Allan of Diamond Bar, California state rules interpreter for high school baseball, citing Rule 8-4-2m of the National Federation of State High Schools Assn. rule book, said Arcadia should have scored three runs on the play.

“All those runners are entitled to score because the batter being called out was only the second out,” Allan said. “If that had been the third out, then it’s a time play, and only the runners who scored before the passing would be allowed to score.”

Similar situation: In 1999, the New York Mets’ Robin Ventura hit a walk-off grand slam in the 15th inning to win Game 5 of the National League championship series against the Atlanta Braves.

After Ventura was mobbed on the basepath, umpires awarded the Mets only one run and ruled that Ventura’s slam would count as a single.

Cap caper: What else can go wrong for the New York Yankees? The team is losing more than games these days. It’s out 47,000 baseball caps it planned to give away this weekend, because the truck carrying the caps was stolen.

Another shipment of 18,000 caps reached its destination, so those will be given out Friday and Saturday. Everyone else 21 and over will get a voucher for a cap. That is, as long as the vouchers aren’t lost.

A hole in a bowl: There’s a new golf course in North Korea that will feature an unusual par-three 14th hole. According to South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, the green will be bowl-shaped, ensuring a hole in one if the tee shot lands on it.

Wrote Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “The gimme shot will be most welcome too, considering the course’s No. 7 hole will be a par-seven, 1,004-yarder.”

Looking back: On this day in 1969, the Boston Celtics defeated the Lakers, 108-106, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in the Forum to win their 10th title in 11 years. Player-coach Bill Russell retired as a player.

Trivia answer: David Eckstein.

And finally: Jay Leno, on runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks: “You know, this is the most embarrassing thing to happen in Georgia since the Atlanta Hawks.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.