The Boston Red Sox did not end up filing a written protest to Major League Baseball over their 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, The Boston Globe reported.
The Red Sox had played the game under protest, contesting at the time that umpires erred due to the placement of subs into Tampa Bay's lineup after the designated hitter was removed.
Boston had 24 hours to officially file a protest with the league but didn't do so, meaning the case was dropped, per the Globe.
"I think it's going nowhere," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of the protest when asked about it before the team's series opener against the Yankees on Thursday.
The confusion Wednesday came in the top of the eighth inning when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Cora to protest.
Umpire crew chief Angel Hernandez, through a pool reporter, said Rays manager Kevin Cash did not specify where Kolarek and the others would be placed in the lineup and that by rule it became his decision.
Kolarek replaced starter Charlie Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.
After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.
After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.
During the lineup changes, Cora argued that Kolarek should have been placed ninth in the Rays' batting order, since he was replacing Ji-Man Choi at first base.
However, Kolarek was placed in the third spot, replacing designated hitter Austin Meadows, while Lowe went into the nine hole. Cora maintained that since Kolarek had replaced Choi, the Rays still had a DH in the game and there was only one lineup spot in which to place Kolarek.