Yet another interference question

[Lightning]

So, bases are empty, two outs.

Batter hits a pop up in foul territory on the first base side. (This ball is clearly foul, there's no way it's going to go fair.) P goes for the catch, it should be an easy catch but the batter-runner is jogging to first and is right in the middle of P's path to the ball. P stops short to avoid bowling her over, tries to run around her but she can't get to the ball in time.

Ump says that he believes that P would have made the catch but it isn't interference because P didn't make contact with the runner. Coach says contact isn't necessary for interference.

Who's right?

 

[quincy]

You absolutely do not want players running into each other but it is a contact sport.

No contact is necessary.

Ump wants P to take out runner?

 

[canyonjoe]

I can't believe how many times I have heard this said. It almost forces you to teach them to just run over the kid.

 

[quincy]

I can understand parents and maybe coaches but ump should know better.

 

[Lightning]

Ump wants P to take out runner?

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. P is about 8 inches taller and at least 30 pounds heavier than the runner - nothing good would have come from that.

 

[Eric F]

Contact is not necessary for either interference or obstruction.

 

[MTR]

So, bases are empty, two outs.

Batter hits a pop up in foul territory on the first base side. (This ball is clearly foul, there's no way it's going to go fair.) P goes for the catch, it should be an easy catch but the batter-runner is jogging to first and is right in the middle of P's path to the ball. P stops short to avoid bowling her over, tries to run around her but she can't get to the ball in time.

Ump says that he believes that P would have made the catch but it isn't interference because P didn't make contact with the runner. Coach says contact isn't necessary for interference.

Who's right?

Not the umpire. This must have happened in SoCal since that seems to be common thread from that area when coaches claim that is why their umpires will not call INT or OBS without contact.

 

[chardrok]

This is a frustration of mine. They keep reiterating to avoid contact to make the game safer, but the number of non-calls is almost forcing the contact.

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