Home Run ?

[amanda_cake]

Here, there are several fields with temp fences.

Worse than the temp fences are the fields with no fencing. One field had bush in the outfield. One of our girls laces one in a gap through the outfield, they are chasing it. If it goes into the bush, it automatically a double. As she was heading to third, the outfielders kicked it into the bush--sent her back to second.

 

[BretMan]

Sounds like they might have got away with one there, Amanda!

It should only be a ground rule double if the ball goes into the bushes under it's own power.

If the outfielder kicked the ball into an area that's been defined as a dead ball area, then the award is two bases from the runner's position at the time the ball was kicked. Your runner should have been awarded home.

Without this rule, fielders would have a HUGE incentive to purposely kick/juggle/throw the ball out of play and prevent runners from advancing on any deep ball near the fence or boundry lines.

 

[amanda_cake]

Sounds like they might have got away with one there, Amanda!

It should only be a ground rule double if the ball goes into the bushes under it's own power.

If the outfielder kicked the ball into an area that's been defined as a dead ball area, then the award is two bases from the runner's position at the time the ball was kicked. Your runner should have been awarded home.

Without this rule, fielders would have a HUGE incentive to purposely kick/juggle/throw the ball out of play and prevent runners from advancing on any deep ball near the fence or boundry lines.

They definitely didn't call that rule... but after that we pumped it up and beat the snot out of that team.

 

[ASAPAump]

Sounds like they might have got away with one there, Amanda!

It should only be a ground rule double if the ball goes into the bushes under it's own power.

If the outfielder kicked the ball into an area that's been defined as a dead ball area, then the award is two bases from the runner's position at the time the ball was kicked. Your runner should have been awarded home.

Without this rule, fielders would have a HUGE incentive to purposely kick/juggle/throw the ball out of play and prevent runners from advancing on any deep ball near the fence or boundry lines.

Bretman, if I'm not mistaken, this rule only applies when the act of kicking is intentional, correct? If a batted ball deflects off of a diving F7 and enters dead ball territory, it is only a ground rule double.

 

[BretMan]

Here is the distinction the umpire has to make: Did the batted ball deflect off the fielder and go out of play under it's own power, or did the action by the fielder provide an new impetus for the ball, causing it to go out of play when it would not have otherwise?

Examples:

Sharp line drive glances off the fielder and goes directly out of play. Ground rule double (two base award from time of pitch).

Batted ball is slowly rolling loose near a boundry line, not heading out of play. As the fielder approaches the ball he kicks it (either intentionally or accidently). The kick causes the ball to go out of play, not the power and speed of the ball itself. Two base award from the runners position at the time the ball was kicked.

This interpretation was offered on the ASA website last year, under the "Plays and Clarifications" in the Umpire section. See July 2009 clarifications.

 

[FPump]

Sorry, assumed it was ASA, which most sanctions follow pretty close. I know NCAA and HS have some differences, but Im not familiar with all of them. Dont see many temp fences in HS unless its a tournament at a community park.

No apology necessary Mud. I assumed the OP was ASA also. I was just trying to illustrate (as Bret did so well in his reply) that there are any number of examples of different rule applications between the various sanctioning bodies. Hence, the most important piece of info in any post regarding a rules question is, what rule set was the game being played under.

 

[andyh64000]

What if an outfielder should be able to field a ball but just watches as it rolls out of bounds? Is that still just a ground rule double?

 

[FPump]

What if an outfielder should be able to field a ball but just watches as it rolls out of bounds? Is that still just a ground rule double?

Smart play maybe, especially if because of the the configuration of the field and where in the outfield this was taking place. Fielding the ball might result in the BR getting a triple or an inside the park HR.
Think about a defensive player watching a slow dribbler going down on/near the foul line toward 1st or 3rd, not daring to touch it, and hoping it comes to rest in foul territory.
In your play, with runners on, (depending where they were) it could possibly result in a runner who scored being sent back to third base on a ground rule double.
There's nothing in the rules that says a defensive player can't just watch a ball...nothing says they MUST attempt to field a ball.