TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 10: Umpire Chris Guccione announces a rule check during the seventh inning of the MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on August 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesWhat the hell was that last night?If you missed the game, the Red Sox and Blue Jays game in Toronto on Monday had a ruling that.well, Im not sure any of us have ever seen.Lets set the scene first. Boston had runners on the corners with one out. Ceddanne Rafaela hits a ball to center that wouldve been deep enough to score Anthony Siegler on a sac fly.That is if Siegler (and Nick Sogard as the runner at first) knew how many outs there were in the frame. Apparently, the scoreboard at the SkyDome (Im dead naming it, you cant stop me) displayed two outs. The confusion stemmed from the previous play, where Vlad Guerrero Jr. fielded a screamer right at him at first before firing to the base for a force out; the ball hit the ground, but my guess is that there was some confusion in the moment about whether or not it was a double play.Regardless, all you need to know is that Siegler and Sogard did not know how many outs there were. That led to what looked to be a double play.The ENTIRE FIELD thought there were two outs (scoreboard even had it) Umps have been deliberating for 15 minutes, but it seems the #RedSox might still get a run out of this? pic.twitter.com/8xe7uvfnW9 NESN (@NESN) August 11, 2026The outs were literally changing MID PLAY on the scoreboard WHAT? pic.twitter.com/L4Ood4MsfY NESN (@NESN) August 11, 2026Side note before we get into the meat and potatoes here: I dont care what the scoreboard says, it is inexcusable for a baserunner in that situation to forget how many outs there were. Shame on the base coaches, too. I know the Blue Jays thought there were two outs as welland I dont care. Thats bad, bad baseball. I digress.You think its just a simple matter of dumb baserunning, a boneheaded play that robs the Sox of a run, end of the inning, right?Wrong. Let Chris Guccione explain at the 1:20 mark below.The ENTIRE FIELD thought there were two outs (scoreboard even had it) Umps have been deliberating for 15 minutes, but it seems the #RedSox might still get a run out of this? pic.twitter.com/8xe7uvfnW9 NESN (@NESN) August 11, 2026In case that video doesnt load, heres the explanation for what was being reviewed. Toronto made the third out at first base after Sogard didnt tag up, but that out was made after Siegler crossed home. This then became a matter of timing and appealing, raising what is known as the fourth out rule.Now, I dunno about you, but I had zero clue about this rule after watching baseball for as long as I can remember. Let Wikipedia explain, since this is the most plain English and succinct explanation that I could find.Inbaseball, afourth outis a legaloutmade by the defense after three outs in a half-inning have already been made. According to the rules, the third out does not cause the ball to becomedead; if the fielders make a subsequent out that prevents a run from scoring, this out will supersede the apparent third out, thus becoming the recorded third out. The defense successfully makes an appeal while the ball is still live, and the umpire calls a temporary fourth out that (usually) replaces the existing third out.TLDR: the defense can essentially appeal on the field to change the third out in order to prevent a run from scoring by making that appealed out the actual end of the inningI think.So for our purposes, the part thats important is the appeal. Toronto wanted that third out to be appealed in order to complete the double play without the run scoring. Leaving the bag early on a fly ball is an appeal play; both Siegler and Sogard leaving early fell under that category of out, if you will. Toronto had to make an appeal to get that third out, one way or another. But the Blue Jays couldve appealed to the out at thirdSiegler leaving earlyas their so-called fourth out in order to prevent the run from scoring, even if Siegler didnt properly tag up.I hope Im making sense here, folks.However, the Blue Jays all left the field. Remember how everyone on Toronto thought the fly ball to center was the third out, too? Per MLB rule 5.09(c)(4), that appeal for a fourth out has to happen while the defending team is on the fieldmore specifically, they have to be within fair territory. The Blue Jays were, indeed, not within fair territory, so they couldnt appeal for the fourth out at third.So if Toronto couldnt make that appeal, the out at third stands to maintain the double play. Since that third out stands, the run also stands since Siegler crossed the plate before Sogard was out at first.Final ruling: double play is confirmed, but Boston gets a run.After some lengthy debate, #RedSox do get the run!Never seen ANYTHING like this review https://t.co/FQWeLG9hB8pic.twitter.com/bjGOkNi9Hd NESN (@NESN) August 11, 2026Just when you think youve seen everything in this sport, man. Baseball never fails to amaze you. I want to know, and I want you to be honest with me: Had you ever heard of the fourth out rule before last night? I sure hadnt. Let me know in the comments below.Another quick note on this: If it was Chad Tracy who made that (funny enough) appeal to point out the fourth out appeal rule, then huge kudos to him. I dont know how many skippers wouldve made that call.Not that this matters, though, since the Sox still lost. Baseballs a dumb game anyways. Its an amazing game, and its also incredibly dumb. I think the fourth out rule is a perfect microcosm of that universal truth.