Red Sox Play Game vs. Yankees Under Protest After Missed Interference Call

A missed interference call in the 11th inning led to the Boston Red Sox officially playing their game on Saturday against the New York Yankees under protest.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported the Red Sox were finishing the game under protest.

The situation occurred in the top of the 11th inning when Jacoby Ellsbury hit a ground ball to Mitch Moreland, who threw to second base. Baserunner Matt Holliday turned around to go back to first base, causing the return throw from shortstop Xander Bogaerts to be off line.

Ellsbury was called safe at first on the play after the umpires went to the review booth to get clarification on the rule.

The score was tied 1-1 at the time of the missed call. The Red Sox would get out of the top half of the 11th inning without the Yankees scoring a run.

Under Major League Baseball rules, protested games occur when a manager alleges the umpires incorrectly applied the rules during a game. The manager must notify the umpires of the protest immediately after the play in question.

The Red Sox were leading the game 1-0 until the top of the ninth inning, when Holliday hit a solo home run off closer Craig Kimbrel to force extra innings.

Boston entered play on Saturday with a 4.5-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East.