[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by NYBAREF

Here is the play.

Runner on 1st and 3rd, 1 out.

Batter hits ball to Pitcher, R3 breaks for home. Close play, but the Cather misses the tag, and R3 touches Home Plate. Cather steps inside and fires to first to try and retire the BR. In doing so the throw hits the BR in the helmet while the BR is entirely the the left of the running lane.

Questions: Should interference be called on BR?

If so, shouldn't all runners be sent back to original bases, as not all runners advanced at least one base prior to the interference?

My thinking is that the run should count because the defense had an opportunity to retire R3 PRIOR to the interference.

Would the ruling be different for OBR, NCAA or FED?

Your scenario is called Interference with an intervening play

PBUC Manual 4.2

Play: Play at the plate on runner attempting to score; runner is called safe. A following play is made on the BR, and he is called out for interference outside the 3 ft. lane.

RULING: With less than 2 outs, score the run and the BR is out. With 2 out the run DOES NOT count. The reasoning is that an intervening play occured before the interference. Runners would return to base last legally touched at TOI. However, with 2 out, the runner reached home on a play in which the BR was out before reaching first base.

The aforementioned is the same ruling under all 3 codes, however, it is worth mentioning that in OBR / NCAA the reason that the run counts is because of a Second Play

Here's a play to illsutrate the difference between OBR / NCAA and FED.

From Carl Childress's 2003 BRD page 146

Play 111-279; The suicide squeeze is on. B1 bunts the ball up the first base line, and there is NO throw to the plate. R3 scores easily, after which F1's throw toward's first (FIRST PLAY) hits B1 in the back. B1 is NOT in the running lane.

RULINGS:

OBR / NCAA - B1 is out for interference however, R3 returns to third base.

FED - Run counts

Summary: If there is an intervening play (second play) the rule is the same for all Major rule codes.

If there is only one play then in OBR / NCAA runners return to TOP. In FED, TOI.

Pete Booth