Dense fog plunges Vandy-Mizzou baseball game into confusion
By David Wasson
Published:
Baseball is an outdoor sport subject to wildly varying weather conditions. The latest proof of Mother Nature’s ability to affect outcomes was in Columbia, Mo., on Friday night.
The Vanderbilt-Missouri baseball game was plagued first by a nearly three-hour weather delay Taylor Stadium wreaked havoc on an already-entertaining game between the Commodores and Tigers.
After the start time was pushed back nearly three hours due to persistent rain in Columbia, Mizzou exploded for six runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 7-6 lead on a chilly, damp night.
It only got more bizarre when a dense fog rolled in at around midnight, making the ninth inning almost unrecognizable from the SEC Network’s center-field camera angle. Vanderbilt managed to place a runner on second with two outs and Braden Holcomb – who had already homered once – at the plate. Missouri reliever Dane Bjorn served up an 0-1 fastball that Holcomb belted the opposite way to right field.
After that, well, no one truly knows. StatCast data from SEC Network indicated the ball left Holcomb’s bat at 108 miles per hour and traveled 379 feet in the air. Both Vandy baserunners and Holcomb sprinted around the bases without umpires either stopping them or any Mizzou fielder tagging them out… appearing to grab a 9-7 lead. But after a nearly 10-minute review, umpires ruled Holcomb’s swing a ground-rule double that made it 7-7.
The game was then promptly delayed again due to the poor visibility and is set to conclude at 5 pm ET on Saturday before the second game of the series is scheduled to begin.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
