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I have been calling in youth Leagues which go by MLB rules for 18 years, and I do not understand the call of Interference on A-Rod running to first base and swatting at Arroyo as Interference as defined by MLB 7.09.
7.09 only addresses interfering with interrupting or hindering a fielder in the act of FIELDING a ball. Arroyo was not in the act of fielding the ball.
Some in a chat room last night tried to point out being out for "malicious contact", which I'm not finding any reference to in 7.09, 7.08. Where am I not seeing these exact words? Please let me know where I'm overlooking.
Givent that someone helps me find the 'malicious contact' clause in MLB rules, then why is every runner in MLB who annihilates a catcher at home plate not called out for malicious contact?
The collisions that occur at home plate are much more violent (Pete Rose's All-Star game bowl-over in the 70's, Mike Piazza has received a concussion or two from home plate collisions, etc) than A-Rod's sissy swat at Arroyo in Game 6.
Further, if there is a malicious contact clause, there is no distinction in MLB rule book that breaking up a play is allowable at home plate but is not allowable at any other base. If MLB players are allowed to stay on the base path and attempt to break up the catcher at home plate, where does it state they cannot do so at any other base?
The only other situation here is when a player slides wide at 2nd base, and goes for the man turning the play at 2nd base instead of sliding directly into 2nd for the purpose of breaking up the double play. There was obviously no attempt to break up a double play on the A-Rod/Arroyo play.
A runner can be called out for interference for hindering a fielder attempting to make a play on a BATTED ball (7.09), but Arroyo was not in the act of fielding the ball. It was already in his glove.
Just as a runner coming to home plate has the right to the base path, A-Rod was within the base path running to first base. He could not and did not very right to avoid a tag, as he could have been called out for going more than 3 feet out of the baseline in order to avoid a tag (7.08(a)).
Looking for chapter and verse from MLB that led to A-Rod being viewed as interfering, and why is this distinguishable from breaking up a play at home plate?
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