Molina homers, not credited with run scored

Sep 27, 2008 - 7:34 AM SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- In a bizarre turn of events, San Francisco Giants catcher Bengie Molina likely became the first player in baseball history to hit a home run and have another player receive credit for scoring the run during a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Molina ripped a line drive to right field at AT&T Park off Dodgers reliever Scott Proctor that hit near the top of the 25-foot wall and bounced back into play. The hit was ruled a single by first base umpire Chuck Meriwether.

Emmanuel Burriss was then inserted as a pinch-runner and Giants manager Bruce Bochy came out to question the call and ask for a review - the first replay in AT&T Park history. After reviewing the play, the umpires, led by crew chief Tim Welke, reversed the call and ruled it a home run.

Because Burriss was announced into the game, he completed the trot around the bases, while Molina was credited with a home run, two RBI but no run scored following a 14-minute delay.

"Bochy wanted to reinsert Molina into the game but he doesn't get another bite at that," Welke said. "We know the rules. Once a pinch runner touches a base he's in the game whether he's put in or not. Bochy wanted to protest the game. You can't go back and revisit history. We informed the official scorer that the game was being protested.

"In retrospect, he should have come out and discussed it before (using) the pinch runner. There is a rule that covers pinch runners and that's the one we went by. All we have is the rules. This was a learning experience for everybody. The system worked and we got it right."

The ruling by the umpires to not allow Molina to run the bases, prompted Bochy to play the remainder of the game under protest.

To add to the confusion, Burriss was not immediately listed in the official box score while Molina was credited with a run scored, which would have been the only time he crossed home plate in the game. Due to the software used to compile the box score, the official ruling will be inserted manually by Major League Baseball on Saturday.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre had no problem with the delay.

"I didn't have any problem with it - the fact that this wrinkle was added and made it longer," Torre said. "It was light-hearted. There was no arguing. The fact it happened is important for the baseball side of it. It may force them to make a ruling."

Burriss is hoping this cements his place in baseball history.

"I'm hoping they have the Manny Burriss rule now," he said. "Maybe something good can happen out of it and I can get in the history books and that'll be nice, especially since we won. If we lose that game because I can't pinch run later in the game or we don't have Bengie then it (stinks). But now that we won it's something we can look back and laugh at."