ST. PETERSBURG — The tying and go-ahead runs were already across the plate, turning what looked like a victory into a ninth-inning meltdown when the phone to the video room in the Rays’ dugout rang.
It was Jeremy Sowers, one of the team’s video coordinators, calling for manager Kevin Cash.
The Blue Jays had just scored a pair of runs when Jose Bautista broke up a potential game-ending double play with a slide into second baseman Logan Forsythe. Sowers saw Bautista reach out and grab Forsythe’s leg, which is a violation of the new slide rule inserted this year to protect middle infielders.