Baseball Oddity: No umpires in 9th inning of Orioles' spring training game
BALTIMORE - The spring training game was officially over. But that didn't stop the Orioles and Pirates from playing the bottom of the 9th without umpires.
There was no need for the Pirates to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning because they'd already won, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde struck an agreement with Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton to continue playing.
They did so without umpires who had left the field with the understanding the game was ended.
What’s missing?
— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) February 28, 2023
Orioles & Pirates agree to play bottom of the 9th without umpires. Game was over with PIT a 7-4 winner but O’s mgr Brandon Hyde asked to play the bottom of the inn anyway. Self-umpired. #SpringTraining ⚾️ @wjz @WJZ13sports pic.twitter.com/THyaZFrN5z
Hyde told reporters afterward that Major League Baseball had instructed managers that they could continue games in such situations with umpires as long as they agreed to continue.
The umpire in charge in Bradenton, Chad Fairchild, apparently didn't agree to keep his crew on the field for another half of an inning, so Orioles catcher Maverick Handley called balls and strikes for the bottom of the 9th.
The final three outs were uneventful, and without controversy, but also without umpires.
That's a true spring training oddity.