Quote:
Originally posted by dwillis
I hesitate bringing this question to the board. But I think it serves for brushing up on some situations we don't run into all that often. The Cubs game 6 NLCS, 8th inning ,1 out, fly ball hit into left field foul territory, barely into the stands. The left fielder attempts to catch the ball. A fan makes contact with ball before the fielder and spoils the catch attempt. As best as I can tell from replays, the fan contact occurred in the stands, The umps ruled no interference (correctly,IMO. No, I am NOT a Marlins fan).
In my reading of OBR and MLBR, The only penalty for Spectator Interference is a dead ball. No one is called out.
In this instance then, had there been spectator interference called, the only thing that would have happened is that the play would be dead, and no catch possible. The same result as what happened. The ball is dead(foul ball) and no catch. The only way an out would have occurred is if Alou (F7) had caught the ball.
Is this Correct, or am I missing something?
Don
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You're missing something.
On spectator interference, the umpire "plays God" -- he assesses whatever bases / outs he thinks would have occurred.
So, in this example, he *could* have declared two outs -- the batter on the catch and R2 on appeal. Of course, it would be the last call he'd likely make in his career.