Bard's slide into dugout costs a run

Bard's slide into dugout costs a run

SAN DIEGO -- Jake Peavy lost his bid for a shutout Saturday on a play so strange that the official rulebook had to be consulted.

In the fourth inning at PETCO Park and with Rafael Furcal on third base after starting the inning with a triple, Dodgers catcher Russell Martin lifted a popup into foul territory that drifted toward the Padres dugout.

San Diego catcher Josh Bard gave chase and made a sliding catch before he tumbled into the dugout. Bard regained his feet and ran out of the dugout to ensure that Furcal didn't try to score from third on the play.

But that is what happened anyway as, after meeting between the umpires, Furcal was awarded home.

Baseball's official rules state in Rule 7.04(c) that if "a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should fall ... into the dugout or any other out-of-play area while in possession of the ball ... the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out."

"A few years ago, there was a rule that if a defender goes into the dugout and loses his footing, the runner gets a base," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "I couldn't tell from my angle if Bard went into the dugout. I only questioned whether he had gone in. This is a good crew. They conferred. They were trying to get it right."

Bard didn't have any issues with the ruling, mostly because he's a bottom-line kind of guy and the Padres, behind Peavy's complete-game effort, defeated the Dodgers, 4-1.

"Obviously, it didn't cost us. [Plate umpire] Jim Joyce is one of the best umpires in the game, if not the best," Bard said. "I haven't looked at it. From what I understand, it's the equivalent of a player jumping into the stands.

"I was as surprised as anyone that the ball landed in my glove."

San Diego manager Bud Black had a brief discussion with Joyce before play resumed with San Diego leading, 4-1.

"My mind-set there was I was trying to go over there in case the ball came back. It kind of kept going. I'm kind of a chubby guy, so it's hard for me to stop, so I just figured I would slide and it landed in my glove," Bard said.

"I've never read the rulebook. My job is to catch the ball."

Now that's what I call "bad luck!"

i find that a dumb rule, i saw how hard he ran for tha ball and a catch is a catch, therefore an out should be an out!

I was watching the game live on FOX. This rule sucks - bad!

It might as well be scored as a sac fly to the catcher - that would do a better job explaining how bad the rule was.