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It's my personal thinking. In my opinion, applying the literal wording would be interpreting the rule too broadly, so that's my criterion. A shortstop might be confused because a runner advancing to 3B on a force committed the act of turning around and retreating to 2B for no good reason. A first baseman might shy away from a pop fly—be hindered from fielding it—because she heard the batter-runner's footsteps 10 feet away.
There are other rules for which a literal reading simply cannot be applied in all cases. How about "when anyone other than another runner physically assists a runner"? Anyone? The second baseman?
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greymule
More whiskey—and fresh horses for my men!
Roll Tide!
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