The Cleveland Guardians are in the middle of a heated playoff race, and their veteran catcher Austin Hedges isn’t taking anything for granted.
During the Guardians’ 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, Hedges raised a rare rules controversy in an effort to get an out called against the Red Sox hitter Caleb Durbin.
It didn’t end up working. The umpires ruled that nothing had happened against the rules.
It also didn’t end up mattering, because a call here would’ve benefited Cleveland, and the Guardians won anyway.
But it was a fascinating scene to watch.
Austin Hedges Rules Controversy
The play happened in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs.
Boston had a runner on third, and Durbin was at the plate with Hedges catching.
Hedges dropped a ball out of his glove, and it rolled out in front of the plate.
As he stood up to go get it, Durbin stuck his bat out and stopped the moving ball, as if to make it easier for Hedges to reach.
Except with a guy on base, Durbin probably shouldn’t have touched the ball with his bat while it was technically a live ball.
Hedges immediately began appealing for a call.
“He stopped the ball on purpose,” Hedges could be heard saying to the umpire. “You can’t do that.”
Austin Hedges. Hold the L. pic.twitter.com/4DJ0ArBtQv
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) September 23, 2026
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, who himself had been a big league catcher, came out to join the discussion.
The umpires then had a conference on the field, but they decided that there was no call to be made.
Durbin got to keep hitting, and the runner stayed on third.
What Would’ve Happened?
The potential call here is interference on the batter.
If the umps rule that the batter interfered, they would then call him out. And in this case, with two outs already, the inning would’ve been over.
Hedges clearly knew that. It’s the kind of thing a veteran player picks up on.
Clearly, Durbin had no ill intention here. If no one had been on base, or if he had fouled the ball off, there would’ve been no potential harm here. But Hedges wasn’t going to let a chance pass by to earn his defense an extra out.
It’s the kind of thing that fits the persona of Hedges as a wily, veteran catcher. He’s just one of those guys that would know a rule like this and do whatever he could to help his team win.
Hedges isn’t an every-day starter, but he’s a valuable member of Cleveland’s roster. In an odd sort of way, this is a perfect example of that.
Guardians’ Austin Hedges Has Rare Rules Controversy Over Red Sox, Caleb Durbin