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Originally posted by jicecone
"Runners on first and second, no outs. On hit and run play, batter hits ground ball to deep short. Runner from first makes clean slide at second and is ruled safe. However; the runner then grabs the sec-ond baseman's arm as he is throwing to first base.
Ruling: Runner from first is out for interference. However; batter is awarded first base and runner returns to second. The runner inten-tionally interfered with the second baseman's throw~ but he did not willfully and deliberately interfere with the obvious intent to deprive the defense of the opportunity to make a double play. The runner's intent in this case was to reach second safely, and subse-quently he interfered with the second baseman's throw to first. Consequently, he is the only player called out on the play.
Jicecone,
As umpires we need certain guidelines (it helps to have played the game) on what constitutes intentional behavior and also whether that behavior was "willfully and deliberately".
IMO, players rasing their hands holding another player, etc, are all Willful and Deliberate acts otherwise they wouldn't do it. In your play, the reason R1 grabbed F4's arm is so that F4 would not throw out R1 Plain and simple and therefore, we ring up 2 on this play.
In FED, the umpire has more leeway because in FED the language "Willfully and Deliberately" is ommitted, however, whenever another player grabs / holds another player it can mean for the most part only one thing "that runner is willfully and deliberately" trying to prevent the fielder from making a play.
Pete Booth
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Peter M. Booth
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