Thursday's game between the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles concluded with a highly contentious call from the team of umpires. The White Sox, trailing 8-2 in the final inning, mounted an impressive comeback by scoring four runs, setting up a potential game-winning opportunity with runners on first and second and only one out.

It was Andrew Benintendi's turn at bat, and he popped the ball up into the infield. As the White Sox's Andrew Vaughn, who was on second base, watched the play unfold, he unintentionally crossed paths with the Orioles' shortstop, Gunner Henderson, who was moving to catch the ball. In a surprising turn of events, the umpire, Junior Valentine, made an interference call against Vaughn despite minimal contact and questionable impact on the play.

Fans quickly took to social media to express their outrage at the umpire's decision, arguing that the interference call was unnecessary as the play would have resulted in an out due to the infield fly rule, regardless of whether the ball was caught or not. The extent of Vaughn's interference with Henderson also became a subject of debate.

However, according to the MLB rulebook, any runner hindering a fielder's attempt to make a play on a batted ball, intentional or not, will result in an out. Thus, the umpire had legitimate grounds to call interference on Vaughn, even if the impact seemed insignificant.

Following the game, Pedro Grifol remarked on the situation, acknowledging that the umpires had made the correct call based on the rules but expressing displeasure at the current rule itself: "No game should end like that. That's just my opinion."

Another aspect of controversy surrounding the call revolves around whether interference can be called on a play that is ruled an "infield fly." The infield fly rule states that an umpire can declare the batter out on any fair fly ball that could be caught with ordinary effort by an infielder when there are occupied bases. This rule prevents teams from strategically allowing fly balls to drop to induce a force out.

When questioned on this matter, Valentine clarified that an interference call can still be made, regardless of whether an infield fly has been called or not. If interference is observed, the umpire is obligated to make the call.

In summary, the game between the White Sox and Orioles ended in controversy due to an interference call on Andrew Vaughn. While some fans criticized the decision, the rulebook supports the umpire's call. Debate also arises regarding the ability to call interference on a play ruled an "infield fly." The result, however, stands, leaving both teams with mixed emotions about the outcome of the game.