The Yankees were already well on their way to a drubbing in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday when reliever Nick Goody unleashed a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning that the Baltimore slugger Chris Davis swung at and missed. But in a manner fitting for how the day — and the week — unfolded for the Yankees, the pitch eluded catcher John Ryan Murphy and bounced to the backstop, allowing Nolan Reimold to coast home from third.
The score became 10-2, Orioles.
Or so it seemed. Because a moment later Yankees Manager Joe Girardi signaled to the umpires that he wanted to challenge the play, believing that Goody’s pitch had nicked Davis in the foot.