TORONTO -- Anthony Seigler scored from third base on a sacrifice fly Monday night -- without ever tagging up.
And that left everyone at Rogers Centre a little confused.
Seigler scored Boston's only run in a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays on a chaotic, inning-ending double play that resulted in a 16-minute delay trying to sort it out.
It all unfolded with no outs and runners on first and second in the seventh inning.
Boston's Nick Sogard hit a hard grounder to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that the Toronto first baseman fielded and threw to shortstop Andres Gimenez at second for a force out as Seigler moved to third.
Ceddanne Rafaela came up next and hit a fly ball to center field with the scoreboard erroneously showing two outs. The ball was still in the air when Seigler headed toward the plate and Sogard took off from first.
When the ball was caught and the Blue Jays eventually tossed it to first to double up Sogard, that was the third out, and it appeared Toronto still led 2-0 as players headed to the dugout.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said everyone assumed the inning was over when plate umpire Charlie Ramos "waved off the run," and said that during all the confusion, he was never given the opportunity to appeal Seigler not tagging up from third.
That's when the umpires started discussing the play and then spoke with both managers.
"What we have here is we have a time play," crew chief Chris Guccione announced on the field, "meaning when the third out was made at first base with the runner not tagging up, the runner that was on third base also did not tag but crossed home plate before the third out was made at first base. So we're going to New York to do a rules check."
Guccione conferred with MLB's replay center in New York for the rules check, then circled back with a second announcement to the crowd.
"After calling New York and getting it all straightened out, the run is going to score," he said. "End of the inning. Two runs for Toronto, one run for Boston."
Because Seigler crossed home plate before Sogard was called out at first, and Toronto never appealed the runner leaving third base early, the run was awarded to the Red Sox -- 16 minutes later.
"What I was told was the rule is the rule," Schneider said. "It's a timing play, so if the run scores from third, no matter what he did, tagging up or not, before the out is recorded at first, the run counts."
Added Guccione: "We felt like it was our obligation to correct the error for not scoring the run originally."
The rule in question is 5.09(c)(4):
"Appeal plays may require an umpire to recognize an apparent 'fourth out,'" the rule states. "If the third out is made during a play in which an appeal play is sustained on another runner, the appeal play decision takes precedence in determining the out. If there is more than one appeal during a play that ends a half-inning, the defense may elect to take the out that gives it the advantage. For the purpose of this rule, the defensive team has 'left the field' when the pitcher and all infielders have left fair territory on their way to the bench or Clubhouse.'"
Even some Blue Jays appeared to think the catch by center fielder Brett Bateman was the third out of the inning. Toronto reliever Simeon Woods Richardson and catcher Brandon Valenzuela both turned their back to the play and were going to the dugout even before second baseman Josh Smith got the ball from Bateman and threw to Guerrero.
Guccione later told a pool reporter that the scoreboard error didn't affect what unfolded.
"That's just kind of a courtesy for the fans and for everybody," he said. "It's our responsibility, as umpires, to understand how many outs there are."
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy summed up the whole half-inning as "strange."
"It was a weird, very weird situation, where the players on both sides seemed to be confused on the outs," Tracy said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.