Quote:
Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)
dash,
I think that's a valid question.
All of the interps I've found that support the two base award and mention WHO deflects it out of play always mention a fielder rather than a runner.
But I believe the correct interp is that you would treat it the same if it did deflect off a runner.
To me, the consistent principle is not so much who, but rather did the initial force of the pitch, as possibly modified by an initial attempt to catch the pitch, cause the ball to go out of play - or was there subsequent contact which resulted in the ball going out of play.
If the pitch "rebounds" off the catcher and is subsequently deflected out of play (unintentionally) by either the BR or a fielder, I'm going with 2, TOP.
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What is the difference between the uncaught third strike hitting a stationary object (backstop for example) as opposed to hitting a moving object (runner in this case)? They both have deflected the ball into DBT. The fielder or catcher did not attempt anything to provide momentum.
In the three interps you provided, none whatsoever have cited any inclination to award the B/R two bases.
BTW-I don't any believe any wording in any rule book supports a TOP two base award. If you are stating you would be awarding two bases from the TOP, I think your terminology is incorrect. As I stated earlier, one from the rubber, two from the field makes much more logical sense to me.