Dodgers’ tag-up on Mets miscue shows off one of MLB’s least-known rules

It all shaped up to be a very normal tag-up play on a fly ball, until the Mets bobbled it.

That's when Michael Conforto tagged up for third and created plenty of confusion.

The tricky part of the play: After the bobble, the Mets outfield still caught the baseball.

Conforto took off after initial glove contact but before the catch. Was he safe or out?

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The umpires got it right.

Conforto was ruled safe.

A tag-up can begin the moment the ball hits a fielder's glove, even if it isn't reeled in at the same time.

The rule exists to prevent an outfielder from intentionally juggling a ball or otherwise misplaying a ball to deke out a runner or get closer to the infield to make a throw.

“I’ve seen that one,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game. “You don’t see it too often, but once the ball hits the fielder’s glove, that’s when you go.”

The Dodgers went on to win the game, 7-5, in 13 innings. And they won this rulebook test, too.

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