Incorrect Rule Interpretations - a running list

[Silver 2200]

I would say the "Look Back Rule" is the most botched call in 10u tournaments that I saw all year.

I had an umpire that did not know that the runner had to reach 1st base before the LBR goes into effect.

Also, there are a lot of umpires around here that don't know that the batter can round 1st base and immediately return to 1st base.

 

[MTR]

The running lane starts 1/2 way to 1B to allow the runner the chance to get into the running lane. So INTENT is not part of this - the rule allows the runner to get to where they need to be. There is no judgement here - they are either in the running lane or not. So yes, just being hit by a thrown ball can absolutely be enough for the call.

There is a case ruling which goes like this....

Q: Batter-runner is past half way to 1B and is running with her left foot landing inside the line (fair) and the right foot is landing outside the line (foul) - thrown ball from catcher hits her. Ruling?

A: If the left foot (fair) was the last step she is out, if the right foot (foul) was the last step she is safe.

And yes, if the ball careens off a helmet out to RF and the batter was in the running lane (or the umpire blows the call) that is scored an error on the player throwing it.

Speaking USA, the feet are irrelevant, it is the location where the ball hits the BR

 

[The Man In Blue]

MTR, was that in a rule interpretation/clarification that I am overlooking? I honestly can’t recall that coming up in any of my USA clinics, but I have heard it before. Just trying to find documentation ...

 

[marriard]

Speaking USA, the feet are irrelevant, it is the location where the ball hits the BR

That is interesting to know - I don't do much (if any) USA any more.

USSSA (17. E) is runner position, not ball position. NFHS is as well (8.2.6)

 

[marriard]

As for what people get wrong... man... the list is long.

I pretty much gave up after a 800+ comment thread on Facebook showed that many people don't even know what a foul ball is before it pass one of the bases. It didn't matter how many times umpires posted 'ball position when first fielded, stopped or hits a boundary, everything else is irrelevant' or how many times the ACTUAL rule got posted from every sanction, people still wanted to insist that the ball was fair because a) The ball had bounced fair and it couldn't be foul until it landed foul or b) the fielders feet were fair, therefore the ball was fair

I mean if you don't know what a foul ball is, then how you are you going to understand a dead ball strike or infield fly or how bases are awarded.

The other thing coaches and parents get wrong 90%+ is the whole appealable/not appealable thing.

Oh, and the NCAA rules they see on TV that are only in NCAA.

 

[CoachJD]

I've posted most of the bad umpire ones, but here's one where our team's fans were screaming and I had to shut them up.

10u game. Runner on second, pop up to the shortstop. The popup is going to land pretty much right on the baseline. Our runner is running straight to third (which in itself was bad since we had less than two outs). She runs right through the shortstop, who is camped under the ball. It was not at all intentional, but she definitely interfered. Luckily, neither girl was injured.

The umpire correctly calls our runner out for interference with the fielder trying to field the batted ball. A bunch of our fans are angry, including the adult older brother of a couple of the girls. Others inform me "He's a baseball coach at [local high school]." OK, well, he doesn't know the rules so he should probably learn them if he's coaching. It took quite a while to get them to shut up about it.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I had to tell the parents of a 10U team I was coaching to stop yelling at the umpire after he made the correct call on a foul tip.

We're on defense. Runner on 1st, 1 out. Runner steals on the pitch. Caught foul tip by my catcher. Catcher makes the throw to 2nd. The runner is safe at 2nd. My parents are yelling at the umpire the girl had to go back to 1st base. It was a fould ball. I had to step out of the dugout and tell my parents the umpire made the correct call and that I'd explain the rule to them after the game. After the game I handed the rule book to the daddy with the biggest mouth and told him what section to look in for the rule. About 30 minutes later he handed me back the rule book admitting he was wrong. I asked him to explain the rule to the other parents on the team.

 

[corlay]

The running lane starts 1/2 way to 1B to allow the runner the chance to get into the running lane. So INTENT is not part of this - the rule allows the runner to get to where they need to be. There is no judgement here - they are either in the running lane or not. So yes, just being hit by a thrown ball can absolutely be enough for the call.

Thank you!

Jeeze... did this thread take a turn toward irony, or what? <g>

I did not know that a Batter-Runner was regulated to a "running lane" (in foul territory).

it's amazing to me that a left foot fair and a right foot foul can constitute an INF call.

Learned something today. Thanks!

I was working under the assumption that a "direct path" to base was all that was required.
Draw a straight line from RH batter's box to foul side of 1B bag, and that puts the Batter-Runner in fair territory a lot longer than half way.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Yes, but if it had turned away from the irony it could have been tagged out for turning the wrong way.

 

[S Spiff]

A significant subset of parents/fans don't understand that a batter is out on an uncaught 3rd strike if first base is occupied with less than 2 outs. This subset overlaps with parents who loudly coach from the stands. This is not a good combination.

Our pitcher throws a change up in the dirt that is swung on and missed for strike three (but blocked pretty well or perhaps even picked by our catcher). Five parents, quickly joined by 10 more, scream for the batter to run which she eventually does. When the batter takes off for first base, the runner at first gets itchy because a teammate appears to be to be joining her imminently, so she takes off for second. But the running play develops slowly because (it appears to me) it was inspired by fan reaction, so the runner takes off late. Catcher throws to second catching the runner stealing, the batter is out on strikes, and the parents/fans go crazy because they don't understand what just happened. Feels like I see some variation on this theme over and over.