two situations

[Dave D]

I had two different umpire disagreements last weekend. Both were settled amicably, on the field, but both blue and I left the field feeling that we were right, even though we disagreed.

#1: My pitcher grounds a ball up first base line. Nobody on base. 1st base fields ball AT the base, then comes down the line to tag the runner. She goes to make a hard tag on the pitcher, who swerves to avoid contact. 1st base drops the ball on the tag. Umpire calls pitcher out for leaving the baseline. My argument--pitcher was avoiding an unnecessary hard tag (1B could have just picked the ball up and touched the bag) and had a right to take evasive action. Umpire said that she should have kept running in the baseline, even if it meant initiating contact with 1B. He said "as long as she doesn't drop her shoulder, she can go right through her." (My perception of 1B's intent probably affected by the fact that pitcher had a no-hitter going through 6)

#2: this one, I've had trouble with for years. Foul pop directly toward me in 3B coaching box. I stand perfectly still and wait for the ball to come down. 3B bumps into me going for the ball, misses catch. Blue calls batter out for interference on my part. I come back with the fact that I was legally in my part of the field of play and made no move to interfere with the fielder, and that any move I might have made could have been construed as trying to distract or interfere, and that my only 100% legal play was to hold my position and hope to avoid the ball dropping on my head. He ended up putting my batter back in the box when other coach told him to forget it (close to time limit).


Well?

 

[SoCalDad]

#1 I agree with the umpire. If we allowed runners to run outside of the baseline to avoid hard tags than it would undermine a key rule of base running. Every coach and runner would argue that the only reason they ran outside the baseline was to avoid an unnecessary hard tag. Base running anarchy would ensue.

#2. Just as the batters box is not a sanctuary, the coaches boxes are also not a sanctuary. The correlation I would make on this play is the batter is require to move out of the batters box for a play at home. In your game situation you had an obligation to move out of the defensive players way to allow them to make the play.

 

[Greenmonsters]

IMO, I'd say you were 0 for 2! Runner is out for leaving the basepath trying to avoid a tag. If there ends up being an unnecessarily hard tag (which you can't know in advance) then its still an out, but the umpire has the discretion to eject the 1B if it was truly intentional and egregious. Base coaches must move (even at risk of unitentionally moving the wrong way).

However, we'll see what Bret and Co. have to say.

GM

 

[Coach JV]

Sorry, I also see you going 0-2. Baserunner establishes basepath. Run outside the lines
you are out. Pop up to coach box? If you stand your ground you are interfering. Put your team on defense,
imagine this scenario. You are up by one run 2 outs runner on 3rd. Batter pops up to coach box-coach interferes
with your 3B as she is trying to make the game saving catch........... need I say more?
If play continues, no out on interference call and the batter hits a HR? Integrity of the game is out the window

 

[ASAPAump]

Agree with Coach JV, Greenmonsters, and SoCalDad.

 

[George R.]

Wrong on both counts, ASAPAump. Runner has to stay in the established basepath and you need to hustle your butt out of the coaches box and avoid interfering with the play.

 

[sluggers]

"Unnecessary hard tag"???? Where did you dig that up? Are you going to find an appellate court around where you can file an interlocutory appeal? If she wants to avoid a "hard tag", then she can simply stop running and be called out.

And, by the way, runners usually want the fielder to attempt a hard tag--because it is a mistake for the fielder to attempt a hard tag.


Rule 7(i): A batter is out when member of the team at bat (including those in the dugout area) other than runners interfere with a player attempting to field a fair or foul ball.

Rule 8.7.O: A batter is out when a coach intentionally interferes with a batted or thrown ball or interferes with the defensive team's opportunity to make a play on another runner.

There is no "intent" requirement. Any time you impede a player from making a play on the ball, then it is interference.

 

[ASAPAump]

Wrong on both counts, ASAPAump. Runner has to stay in the established basepath and you need to hustle your butt out of the coaches box and avoid interfering with the play.

Yeah George, and that's exactly what Coach JV, Green, and SoCal were saying. That's why I was agreeing with them. *confused*

 

[Amy in AZ.]

When coaching third, it never matters where I go to attempt to get out of the way, I end of looking like an idiot. I think that we have all been there.

I do wish that the box was a safety zone, but it isn't.

 

[SoCalDad]

When coaching third, it never matters where I go to attempt to get out of the way, I end of looking like an idiot. I think that we have all been there.

I do wish that the box was a safety zone, but it isn't.

Like when you are back pedaling out of the way on a foul pop-up trip over your own two feet and land on your butt in front of everyone?