There was no umpire behind the plate calling balls and strikes, or even one of those so-called robo umps that could become part of the game in the future, when the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates kept playing Tuesday.
The umpires were done with their day’s work after Baltimore’s Josh Lester grounded out to end the top of the ninth inning with the Orioles trailing 7-4, officially ending the spring training contest.
But after the umps left the field, the teams kept going and played the bottom of the ninth following a quick discussion between Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Baltimore skipper Brandon Hyde had a quick discussion and decided to keep going.