Quote:
Originally posted by CoachJM
Just saw the replay of this on Sportscenter when they were showing highlights of the Braves/Angels game.
Can anyone help me understand why this is a legal play by Erstad, even in MLB?
This one strikes me as a different animal that the famous Rose - Fosse collision because in this case, Erstad left his path to home and clearly intended to take out Estrada rather than reach home plate.
If A-Rod gets called out for slapping the ball out of an F3's hand on a tag attempt, why is this not ruled offensive interference?
Thanks.
JM
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It's legal because there is no rule against malicious contact in MLB. I see no difference between this play and the Rose/Fosse play, in that the intent of the runner was malicious, no attempt to reach the base, but only to injure the catcher.