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Major League Baseball has since said that this is immediately dead, and runners are awarded two bases, TOP.
Not true. MLB said use common sense in placing the runners. For a ball that never left the infield, two bases TOP would not be common sense.
From the WUA press release of Aug, 2002:
When a batted or thrown ball enters a playerÂ’s uniform or the catcherÂ’s gear, the ball is to be ruled dead and no subsequent outs can be obtained by the defense. The umpire is then directed to employ common sense and fairness and place the runners such that the act of the ball becoming dead is nullified. The umpire may not, however, enforce any outs that he thinks may have occurred had the ball remained live. Outs occurring before the ball went out of play stand.
But this is an entirely different issue than the ball becoming lodged in a glove. MLB umps have never ruled that a ball lodged in a glove that is held by another player is not a held ball. At least once a season, we see a hard shot back to the mound, hwere the pitcher gets the ball lodged in his glove, and throws the entire glove to F3. This has always, and is still ruled as an out, providing, of course, that F3 has possession before BR reaches first.
Rich is correct in that the BRD AND the FED case book both say this is a two base award. I have never had it happen to one of my FED games, so I am glad to learn of the "national interpretation" before it does. I could understand the national interp, I could also understand an interpretation saying that F3 holding the pitcher's glove with a lodged ball in it is NOT possession, and therefore not an out. But what is hard to accept is a pitcher getting his glove up on a hot shot through the box, having the ball become lodged in the webbing, and awarding the offese two bases. It is a "punishment" that simply does not fit the "crime".
I do wish this "national interpretation" that has been mentioned would be published in a national FED book, either rules or case book, so those of us without direct access to the NFHS office and interpreters could get it right also.
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