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Originally Posted by John Robertson
Here's one that happened tonight:
Runner on third base. Batter up with a 3-0 count. Pitch comes in low for ball four. It bounces off the catcher's shin guard and rolls toward the on-deck batter. The runner at third is not especially fast and cautiously goes about one-third of the way down the line as the catcher chases the ball near the on-deck circle. Just as the catcher goes to pick the ball up, the on-deck batter decides to be "helpful" and kicks the ball towards the catcher!
I called time sent the runner back to third and made the batter-runner go no further than first on the walk. If either the runner at third or the batter-runner had been trying to advance on the play, I would have called the on-deck batter out for interference--which would have been a first for me.
Would anyone have called interference regardless?
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To be interference, you must judge there was a play. That play may be a runner advancing, that play may be the catcher throwing behind the caitious runner on third. If you think that happened, you should call interference, and the runner closest to home must be out.
On the other hand, if you think there was no play, you cannot have interference; you have a blocked ball (since a live ball was handled and redirected by the offense). Dead ball, and runners return is a valid call, in that situation.