ATLANTA (AP) — Braves catcher Sean Murphy was called for interference in the eighth inning of their NL Division Series opener against Philadelphia on Saturday night, bringing home a run for the Phillies.

The call was made by plate umpire Brian O’Nora with J.T. Realmuto batting with the bases loaded and two outs. Trea Turner scored to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead.

It was hard to see any contact, but Realmuto looked back at O'Nora after he fouled off a pitch from Pierce Johnson and pointed to Murphy. After O'Nora indicated the interference call, Realmuto clapped as he jogged to first.

The call was challenged by Atlanta, but it was upheld by a replay review. Some fans at Truist Park threw trash on the field in protest.

There were 96 catcher interference calls in the majors this year, the highest total since at least 1974. That's up from 74 in 2022 and 64 in 2021, according to Sportradar.

Under MLB’s catcher interference rule, the batter is awarded first base if any fielder interferes with him during a pitch. It happens most often when a hitter gets a piece of the catcher’s glove with his bat.

When catcher interference is called, the play is allowed to continue in case the outcome is more advantageous for the offensive team than the interference. If the interference call is accepted, the catcher is charged with an error. The hitter is marked down for a plate appearance but not an at-bat, and reaching first doesn’t affect the player’s on-base percentage.

One of the biggest factors in the increase is pitch-framing metrics that look favorably on catchers who receive the ball closer to the plate.

Murphy, who turned 29 on Wednesday, is highly regarded for his catching skills. He won a Gold Glove in 2021 with Oakland.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb