Runner jumping over a ground ball - Interference?

[Greenmonsters]

Under what set of circumstances, if any, and/or at what age/level, if any, is a runner, passing well in front of an infielder, jumping over a groundball considered interference? Does this vary by association rule set?

 

[KCPRK]

If the ball does not contact the runner and the runner does not contact or directly interfere with the fielder then it is not interference

 

[CoogansBluff]

I posed this question a few months back when this happened in a game. The umpire said USSSA rules (or the tournament rule) called for an automatic out if a runner jumped over a ball. It was unanimously agreed that this is not a USSSA rule, nor likely the rule of any tournament.

My understanding of the rule (I'm no umpire) is that the runner being close to the ball is irrelevant. The question is whether a runner (whether jumping over a ball or not) prevents the fielder from going after the ball in a way needed to make the play.

 

[BretMan]

I've seen it called inteference before and even had umpires try to explain to me that runners are out for doing this.

They were wrong!

There is an element of judgment that might come into play here. For instance, if the runner paused or timed it out so that they purposely passed directly in front of the fielder just as the ball gets to her, or in some effort to screen out the fielder, then you might get an interference call. But it would be interference because the runner impeded the fielder, not just because they "jumped over the ball".

Absent some "extra effort" by the runner to purposely mess with the fielder, if you just have a runner advancing straight to the next base, who just happens to jump over the ball to avoid it, well away from the fielder as you noted, I can't see any justification for an interference call.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

This is discussed frequently, even at the NCAA level. I think that a runner leaping over the ball can in fact stop the fielder dead in her tracks. But, the call comes at the discretion of the umpire. Some coaches tell the SS (for instance) to go ahead and make contact with the runner, to get the call.

 

[coachkurtis]

We have had this issue to. Some umpires call it some dont. Wish it was consistant one way or the other.

 

[Ajaywill]

Definition of interference (ASA) - The act of any offensive player that hinders, impedes, or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play.

That is not the exact wording as I don't have the book available right now, but that would be the standard applied.

 

[BretMan]

Jumping over the ball, in and of itself, is not an illegal act.

Now, if you have a fielder charging in to field the ball, but they have to check up due to the runner's presence, then you can have interference. But it's interference because the fielder was impeded, not just because the runner happened to be jumping over the ball at that moment.

In the first post, the play described had the runner passing "well in front of the fielder". I take this to mean that the fielder was not charging the ball and was not close the the runner when the runner jumped over the ball. This isn't a rule infraction and there's no penalty associated with it.

I've seen runners pause, shuffle their feet and jump around as a ground ball approaches, giving an Academy award winning performance to make it look like they were trying to avoid the ball when they really seemed to be trying to mess with the fielder. And I've called them for interference for doing that! If they just would have advanced to the next base, minus the juking around, they would have been clear of the fielder way before the ball ever got there. Instead, they (in my judgment) were purposely acting in a manner to interfere with the fielder. Yes, it is a judgment call...but you know it when you see it.

 

[MTR]

Jumping over the ball, in and of itself, is not an illegal act.

Now, if you have a fielder charging in to field the ball, but they have to check up due to the runner's presence, then you can have interference. But it's interference because the fielder was impeded, not just because the runner happened to be jumping over the ball at that moment.

In the first post, the play described had the runner passing "well in front of the fielder". I take this to mean that the fielder was not charging the ball and was not close the the runner when the runner jumped over the ball. This isn't a rule infraction and there's no penalty associated with it.

I've seen runners pause, shuffle their feet and jump around as a ground ball approaches, giving an Academy award winning performance to make it look like they were trying to avoid the ball when they really seemed to be trying to mess with the fielder. And I've called them for interference for doing that! If they just would have advanced to the next base, minus the juking around, they would have been clear of the fielder way before the ball ever got there. Instead, they (in my judgment) were purposely acting in a manner to interfere with the fielder. Yes, it is a judgment call...but you know it when you see it.

^^^^^^^^^^ this

 

[JAD]

The call comes at the discretion of the umpire. Some coaches tell the SS (for instance) to go ahead and make contact with the runner, to get the call.

This^^^^^^. It is a judgement call by the umpire and should not be an automatic out.