Players, managers happy with clarification of a catch

A day after Major League Baseball's rules committee clarified what constitutes a catch while middle infielders make the pivot at second base -- also known as "the transfer rule'' -- players and managers applauded the prompt move.

With umpires watching slow-motion replays in a New York control room the first three weeks of this season, several plays that routinely were called outs in the past were ruled drops.

Starting Friday, possession was defined as having complete control of the ball. The committee said fielders will not be penalized for dropping the ball after opening their gloves to make the transfer to the throwing hand.

"I understood that if you went by the rule in the book, you had to call it a certain way. But it had been called another way for 100 years," Mets centerfielder Chris Young said. "It's amazing that Major League Baseball stepped in now so fast and stopped it so quickly. All it took was a couple of miscues. I think it's a great call, for sure. I'm really glad they did it now rather than waiting until after the season to evaluate it."

"It's a good thing they changed it," Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick said. "The rulebook clearly states that a catch is a guy securing a ball in his glove. The transfer is another element. Then you have guys that worry about it, and it changes the speed of the game."

Yankees captain Derek Jeter said: "It made it very uncomfortable to turn a double play. I think you saw a lot of people -- it appeared to me a lot of people -- were sort of taking it step by step. You try to be quick when you turn a double play. Now it's take your time."

Marlins manager Mike Redmond, a former big-league catcher who had two recent transfer plays overturned in Miami's favor, said: "I think I have an idea of what a catch is. Now we'll see what a catch is."

-- AP