Quote:
Originally Posted by NFump
In one of JM's "simple statements of fact" he "implied" this also. I believe he said "Fielding and catching are NOT equivalent" I think the bold is my emphasis.
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JM's statement, iirc, was that all catching is fielding but not all fielding is catching. Obviously, a catch puts the batter-runner out, where fielding a ground ball does not. But is catching fielding a fly ball? That's the crux of the question.
If the answer is yes, then the catch falls under the Fed rule saying that fielding the ball doesn't count as a play by the infielder. Case closed. If the answer is no, fielding only refers to possessing a ground ball then we have to look elsewhere for our answer.