What happened during the 5th inning of Padres vs. Guardians? All you need to know about Kyle Hart’s controversial pickoff of Gabriel Arias 

Facing the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Kyle Hart enjoyed an impressive outing on Monday. Pitching five innings, Hart allowed two earned runs, striking out four to help his team improve to a best-ever 5-0 record to start the new campaign.

However, finding himself in a bit of a jam at the top of the fifth, Hart was able to get two hugely important outs as a double play was awarded after Gabriel Arias, who was attempting to steal third, was deemed to be interfering with Manny Machado.

Though many, including the broadcasters, were curious as to why the play was not deemed a balk when Hart initially threw the ball to Machado, the umpires eventually sided with the home team. The Guardians eventually ended the inning empty-handed, while the Padres added three more runs when they next walked up to bat, further tilting the momentum in their favor.

A clip of the controversial play was later uploaded to X/Twitter:

According to official baseball rule 6.02(a)(4), a play is deemed a balk when the pitcher throws to an unoccupied base while in contact with the rubber on the mound. The exception to this rule, however, occurs when the pitcher attempts to make a play, attempting to pick off a runner that is attempting to steal.

In this case, Arias appears to intend stealing third base, which makes the play legal despite Hart's foot still being on the rubber, as the broadcasters called out in the replay. The implementation, of course, is always down to the judgment of the umpires on the field.

---

Former MLB executive claims Padres are 'for real'

With so much hype surrounding their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, before the season began, the San Diego Padres' sensational start to the new campaign has shown that they are still a great baseball team, capable of beating anyone on their day.

Speaking about the Friars' credentials, former Cincinnati Reds GM Jim Bowden has his say on how he sees their season panning out.

"I think the Padres are for real," Bowden said. "I’m glad they didn’t trade [pitchers] Dylan Cease or Michael King. I think that’s huge. … I think one of the question marks was left field with the Padres after losing Jurickson Profar. … [Xander] Bogaerts seemed comfortable going back to shortstop, which was his original position, anyway," Bowden said via 'Foul Territory'.

"This is a really good team, and they’re run by a really aggressive GM in AJ Preller, who knows how to get a piece when he needs it," he added.

Having raced out of the blocks to the best start to a season in franchise history, Padres fans will be hoping their team can continue to remain consistent.