re: That was a bad throw by the catcher and a ticky-tack call

What? I am not part of any problem. I've been the teacher FOREVER ....

The catcher's throw should have been to the "inside" of the bag... or left side.... so he has a clear throwing lane from his hand to the 1st baseman.

WHY? Because we never want the runner to be between us and the ball. For a number of reasons. Biggest reason being exactly what happened in this play - the ball hit the runner.

The runner was supposed to run to the right side of the foul line, helping create a clear throwing lane for the catcher. He didn't. He ran straight down the line and in fact, was a little bit to the left. By rule, he is out.

The

Again - if the catcher thows the ball to the left of the bag, where he has been taught to throw to - none of this would have matter.