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Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA
There is nothing in the rules to support ANY call involving INT.
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Not true. The definitions support the call of interference, assuming attempting to field a batted ball (not necessarily fair) can be construed as attempting to make a play. What the rules do not support is declaring the
runner out.
The POE says two things that may pertain to this discussion:
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Defensive players must be given the opportunity to field the ball anywhere on the playing field ... without being hindered.
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and
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When batter, batter-runner, runner, on-deck batter or coach interference occurs, the ball is dead, someone must be called out...
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This is obviously a hole in the rules. The umpire must make a call of some kind or ignore the contact.
Rule 10 allows the umpire to make a reasonable call, but he should not make up a new rule out of whole cloth. There is no support whatsoever for a delayed dead ball call on interference. There is no support whatsoever for declaring the batted ball a fair ball unless the contact is ignored altogether.
If the runner had contacted the ball instead of the fielder, it would have been a foul ball.
If the fielder had been successful in fielding the ball while still in foul territory, it would have been a foul ball.
The fielder was not given the opportunity to field the ball while in the playing field.
Stringing all of that together, I am still with the dead ball on the interference, no one out since the ball was foul. Rule 10.