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Greymule wrote:
No outs, R1 on 3B, R2 on 2B, R3 on 1B, B4 pops up near the 1B line and runs into F3 knocking the ball loose to prevent a double play. R1 has touched home plate before the collision.
a. Dead ball, B4 is out, R1, R2, and R3 must return to the base they had at the time of the pitch.
b. Dead ball, B4 is out, R2 is out, R3 is returned to 1B, R1 scores.
c. Dead ball, B4 is out, R1 is out, R2 is returned to 2B and R3 is returned to 1B.
d. Dead ball, B4 is out, R1 scores; R2 and R3 advance at their own risk.
The correct answer is "b".
I think the rule book covers that situation and makes the answer "none of the above".
With the bases loaded and less than two outs a pop fly on the infield is an infield fly and the batter is out when the umpire calls infield fly: Rule 8-2, i.
Rule 7-p says that ....(if) any offensive player, after being called out, interferes with a defensive player's opportunity to make a play on another runner, the runner closest to home plate shall be called out and all other runners returned to bases at the time of the interference. The key part of the ruling comes next: A runner continuing to run after being declared out and drawing a throw is a form of interference. While this is not the exact circumstance in this scenario the effect is the same. The batter runner was out on the infield fly rule and committed interference by continuing to run.
At the very least you would have a ruling that the interference occured before the runner touched the plate and would justify putting the runners back.
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