LOS ANGELES – Gavin Lux was sure he had thrown it away. The high, deep hit off Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller in the fourth inning of the Dodgers win 6-3 On Tuesday at Dodger Stadium he cleared the right field wall, evading the glove of Dominican Victor Robles. The third base umpire called it a home run.
But here’s the thing: The ball was back in the safety court.
Lux was jogging, rounding the bases, when the confusion began. Could it be that the ball didn’t go over the fence after all? Will Lux have to settle for a triple?
The umpires met and reviewed the play. It could be clearly seen that the ball had indeed gone over the fence, and finally, Lux was rewarded with a home run.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was the first to notice that the ball had returned to the field, as Lux passed through second base.
“I saw him leave, but my eyes are not very good,” Roberts said. “But I’m happy that everything worked out in the end.”
However, the question remains: How did the ball return to the field?
The answer seems to be that, somehow, the ball fell through an opening in the wall, down to where Robles was, who was on the ground after his attempt to steal the home run.
It was a curious case, but in the end it resulted in Lux’s tenth homer of the year.
