Scoring Question

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Mar 26, 2013
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Are you saying that if a fielder is in a real hurry to field a ball, then the play is no longer routine, and therefore the player is excused from an ensuing throwing error? Or if she's in a hurry to field an unusual play, that she is excused?
The latter - in a hurry to make an unusual play that required extraordinary effort. However, she's not excused if the throw allows runner(s) to advance additional bases. Fielders are similarly excused on errant throws to complete a double play.

I can't agree w/ that. I'm saying that if a fielder has possession of the ball and has a routine throw to first and throws the ball away, this is an error, and what led up to that point is irrelevant. Doesn't matter why she made a bad throw as long as she had time and the throw itself was routine (ie, she was on balance).

Also, balls that deflect off the pitcher are not uncommon. Often, they become easy plays. If this particular play was more difficult, I would judge it just like any other more difficult play - a good bunt, a grounder in the hole. But once the fielder secures the ball and has a routine throw and sufficient time, she is responsible for making an accurate throw for the out, IMO. No excuse that the nature of the play short-circuited her internal clock.
There was definitely a time element to the play - OP said SS came "running in hard" and the runner might have beat it out "if she had not gotten there so quickly." Doesn't sound like a routine deflection play to me. OP doesn't indicate whether the fielder scooped the ball on the run or slowed down before fielding it. I don't see a SS slowing down much to make the throw if she had covered quite a bit of distance by running hard. JMO based on OP's description.

Ball is a line drive up the middle. Pitcher gets some of it with her glove slowing it down. SS comes running in hard to make the play at first but rushes the throw and pulls 1st of her base and the runner is safe. If SS took her time with the throw she had enough time to get the runner at first but if she had not gotten there so quickly the runner might have been safe regardless.
 
Oct 27, 2015
182
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There was definitely a time element to the play - OP said SS came "running in hard" and the runner might have beat it out "if she had not gotten there so quickly." Doesn't sound like a routine deflection play to me. OP doesn't indicate whether the fielder scooped the ball on the run or slowed down before fielding it. I don't see a SS slowing down much to make the throw if she had covered quite a bit of distance by running hard. JMO based on OP's description.

The throw was on the run. I went back to see if I had kept the video but sadly deleted the footage of that play.
 

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