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2.00 A FIELDER is any defensive player.
2.00 INTERFERENCE (a) Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. If the umpire rules the batter, batter-runner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgement of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference, unless otherwise provided by these rules. In the event the batter-runner has not reached first base, all runners shall return to the base last occupied at the time of the pitch.
The "act" was throwing the bat towards the dugout. The "interference" was the bat made contact with a thrown ball from a "fielder" attempting to make a play. The catcher is a "fielder". The batter-runner has not reached 1B at the time of the interference. In my judgement, the batter-runner committed an "act" that interfered with a "fielder's" attempt to make a play, Seems cut and dried to me, batter-runner is out for the interference and all runners return to their TOP bases.
The batter could have gone to 1B without interfering by dropping his bat to the ground and let the bat boy get it, or tossing it lower than the did. Instead he tossed it at least 4 feet high (catcher who has popped up to make a throw would release the throw at least 4 feet high). Intent not necessary to judge, he committed an "act" that interfered. This is not the same as a batter who did nothing and was hit in the helmet or bat by a thrown ball from the catcher. In this case he did not commit an "act".
When a batter walks he needs to drop the bat to the ground and let the bat boy get it. "It is unreasonable to expect the bat to dissappear", but it is not unreasonable to call interference when the batter-runner commits an act that interferes with a throw.
[Edited by DG on Feb 5th, 2006 at 01:07 PM]
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