Quote:
Originally Posted by mbyron
It seems that people are reading this in two different ways. Here's one:
(a) the catcher is on or forward of the tip of home plate (or "on fair territory") to get the pitch and [thereby] prevents the batter's opportunity to swing at or bunt such pitch
This reading assumes, perhaps correctly, that F2's being over the plate by itself prevents the batter's opportunity to swing or bunt and should be ruled CI.
Here's a different way some people are reading this:
(b) the catcher is (i) on or forward of the tip of home plate (or "on fair territory") to get the pitch AND (ii) prevents the batter's opportunity to swing at or bunt such pitch
This reading regards the two clauses as quite distinct and both necessary to call CI. F2's being over the plate does not in itself warrant calling CI. The batter must also do something: there must be at least part of a swing or bunt that F2 prevented from occurring normally.
Dash, you haven't made a case for the first interpretation by simply restating the rule. And, as I said, my J/R (2005) has 2 case plays, in both of which the batter tries to swing or bunt. That's not decisive, but it's not nothing. And it made me think twice here.
I lean toward reading (a), but would like to have some authority back it up. The reason I like (a) is that the second clause does NOT say: prevents the batter from swinging or bunting.
Rather the crucial expression is: "prevents the batter's opportunity to swing." To prevent a swing, there must be a swing; but to prevent an opportunity to swing, there need be no swing. F2's being over the plate precludes the possibility of the batter swinging normally, and that would constitute preventing the opportunity to swing.
So, I'll be looking for something authoritative to decide the question, and in the meantime go with my best guess. (Not that it's a burning issue: I think I've called this once in the last 5 years.)
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You've got it right in the second part, but "to prevent a swing, there must be a swing"? Then the swing hasn't been "prevented". When you prevent something you keep it from happening.
As it says in the definition of interference: hinders (which covers interference with the batter but he is still able to hit the pitch)
or PREVENTS the batter from hitting the pitch. If he is unable to hit the pitch, not because he didn't swing but because the pitch is in the catcher's glove and never reached him then he has been prevented from hitting the pitch. Not much sense in swinging at something that isn't there.