Pete Alonso does the unimaginable – Mets defeat White Sox by breaking a strange rule

Tuesday night at Citi Field was supposed to be a regular evening of baseball for the New York Mets, who were riding high after an impressive weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Instead, their 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox became an impromptu masterclass in MLB’s most obscure rules, thanks to a bizarre and confusing play involving Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto.

Runners Passing: A Rare Call That Left Everyone Confused

In the bottom of the first inning, with the Mets already trailing 2-0, Brandon Nimmo stood on first base and Juan Soto at the plate. Facing White Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon, Soto launched a deep fly ball to center field. Michael A. Taylor dove for the ball, catching it on what appeared to be a very short hop—a tricky play that blurred the line between a catch and a trap.

First base umpire Tom Hanahan ruled it a hit, but confusion reigned on the basepaths. Neither the second nor third base umpires made a signal. Nimmo, not watching the umpires but instead reacting to the crowd, assumed Taylor had caught the ball. He rounded second and began retreating back toward first.

In the chaos, Soto passed Nimmo on the basepaths—a rare but clear violation of MLB’s rules. The umpires later ruled Soto out for passing the lead runner, even though the ball had not been caught. The official scoring? A line-out to the first baseman.

A Chain Reaction of Uncertainty

For many fans, the moment seemed like just another confusing on-field situation. But in baseball’s thick rulebook, passing a lead runner is a black-and-white offense.

“I’m not really looking,” Nimmo admitted postgame. “Going more off of what the instinct is. So, when I turned around, I was heading for first base, assuming that the ball had been caught, so I wasn’t looking at the umpire.”

The Mets’ third base coach Mike Sarbaugh was also in the dark, lacking a clear view of the play. With umpires failing to provide obvious guidance, both Soto and Nimmo were left to guess what had happened, resulting in a pivotal out early in the game.

Carlos Mendoza: ‘That Was a Tricky One’

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza described the sequence as “tricky,” acknowledging that Soto may have interpreted the play differently based on visual cues and crowd reactions.

“I think he got caught in between,” Mendoza said. “He thought Taylor fell, that there was no catch, and then I don’t know if he saw somebody signal and went all the way back. Yeah, that was a tricky one there.”

This moment shed light on a little-known rule in MLB: once a runner passes another on the basepaths, it doesn’t matter if it’s accidental or due to confusion—the trailing runner is automatically out.

The Crowd Plays Umpire

In the absence of a definitive signal from the field umpires, the crowd became the most influential voice on the play. That led to a cascade of incorrect assumptions, especially by Nimmo, who said he was guided by the crowd’s reaction and not the actual call.

“Honestly, if I was watching it, I probably wouldn’t have even been sure what exactly to do,” Nimmo added. “I probably would have been looking around trying to find out, and then probably would have found the umpire, even if I was like, halfway in between first and second…”

Pete Alonso and Jared Young Save the Day

Despite the early chaos, the Mets responded in dramatic fashion. Pete Alonso tied the game with a towering two-run home run to center field—his 11th homer of the season.

Then, Brett Baty kept the inning alive with a single up the middle, and Jared Young, the journeyman outfielder with an incredible backstory, launched a two-run homer to give the Mets a 4-2 lead.

Jared Young: From South Korea to Citi Field Glory

For Jared Young, Tuesday’s home run was more than just a stat. The British Columbia native, who played at three different colleges and spent seven years in the minors, had taken his talents overseas to play for the Doosan Bears in South Korea.

His fourth career MLB home run—and first since September 2009 with the Cubs—was a defining moment in his return to Major League Baseball.

An Aggressive Offensive Approach

The Mets (34-21) came out swinging, aggressively attacking pitches early in the count and loading the bases before Francisco Lindor grounded out to end the first inning.

“I think we were able to capitalize on some of the stuff that was in the zone early in the count,” Alonso said. “The whole night is awesome, not just that first inning.”

Their strategy paid off early, but Jose Butto’s shaky seventh inning nearly allowed the White Sox back into the game, cutting the lead to just one.

Insurance Runs and a Tense Finish

In the bottom of the eighth, the Mets managed to create much-needed breathing room. Jared Shuster, despite two quick outs, surrendered three straight singles, and Lindor drove in an insurance run, extending the lead to 6-4.

On the mound, Tylor Megill pitched 5 2/3 innings, surrendering just two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and four walks. While he got into trouble in the sixth, Jose Castillo entered and recorded the final out, preserving Megill’s record at 4-4 on the season.

Reed Garrett came in to close and secured his second save of the year, finishing a game that had as many mental puzzles as it did action.

Jonathan Cannon Takes the Loss

On the other side, White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon also went 5 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on nine hits and taking his sixth loss of the season (2-6).

Despite some promise, Cannon struggled with pitch placement early and was unable to stop the Mets’ first-inning momentum.

The Importance of Clear Umpiring Signals

Tuesday’s incident underscores a recurring theme in baseball: the importance of umpire communication. When players and coaches are left to interpret ambiguous plays on the fly, chaos ensues.

Had there been a clearer signal from second or third base, Soto might have stayed behind Nimmo. Instead, the failure to signal left everyone guessing—players, coaches, and fans alike.

MLB has made strides with instant replay and reviews, but this incident shows there’s still room for improvement in real-time officiating and communication protocols, especially in a split-second game like baseball.

Conclusion: Baseball’s Nuances on Full Display

The Mets may have walked away with the win on Tuesday, but it was the rare ruling involving Soto and Nimmo that became the story of the night. While obscure MLB rules seldom make headlines, when they do, they reveal just how deep and intricate the game can be.

Whether it’s runners passing, questionable dives in the outfield, or crowd noise dictating base-running decisions, baseball continues to be a sport of nuance and mental acuity. For the Mets, the win kept momentum rolling. For the fans, it was a night where the rulebook took center stage—and reminded us all that in baseball, anything can happen.