Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer misplayed a fly ball in the infield. (Screenshot via Talkin’ Baseball)”
The Boston Red Sox may have executed the most unconventional double play of the 2025 MLB season during Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. The bizarre sequence of double plays left fans, players and even commentators baffled, highlighting baseball’s complex and sometimes confusing rules.
The play took place in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second bases and no outs, Rays infielder Junior Caminero stepped up to the plate. He threw a fly ball high into the air, landing in the dangerous space between home and third bases. Red Sox catcher Connor Wong initially positioned himself under the ball, but third baseman Marcelo Mayer, asserting his call, attempted to make the play. While the umpires correctly signaled a fly ball — automatically ejecting Caminero — Mayer unexpectedly missed the catch, allowing the ball to land in legal territory.
With the ball now in play, the Rays’ baserunners, operating under the “at-your-own-risk” rule on fly balls, instinctively ran to the next base. This prompted a quick reaction from Wong, who threw the ball to third base, where Trevor Story had moved into cover.
What followed was a series of quick but legally complicated actions. Without touching Yandy Díaz, who was advancing to third base, Story quickly passed the ball to Kristian Campbell at second base. Campbell, with precision, touched Jonathan Aranda before Aranda could reach the bag.
The umpires correctly determined that Caminero was out due to the fly ball rule. Furthermore, Aranda was out at second base because Campbell successfully touched him. However, Yandy Díaz was declared safe at third base because Story never touched him, and importantly, there was no force out at third base after the fly-in rule went into effect. Even though the ball was dropped, the fly-in rule meant the batter was out, and thus there was no forced advance for the runner.
While the Red Sox successfully recorded two outs on the play, preventing a potentially disastrous scoring opportunity from a multi-base situation with no outs, the Rays still managed to capitalize. On the very next play, Díaz scored from third base on an infield single by Jake Mangum, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead.