Hmmmm. Is the batter-runner really a viable batter-runner for rules purposes after she's been declared out do to the IFF? Or is she no longer a viable batter-runner once that declaration has been made?
I don't see anything that would lead us to keep her as a batter-runner while the ball's disposition of fair or foul is still up in the air (no pun intended). Suppose the batter hits a very high fly that is declared an IFF. Before it reaches the ground, the batter-runner passes the runner at first base. Do you then call her out for passing the runner and score it that way in the book? Or do you still have her out for the IFF?
I'm not sure if that's what Mike is hung up on, nor am I sure it has any bearing on this particular play. I guess the question boils down to this: Is this considered a fair batted ball hitting a batter-runner, or a fair batted ball blocked by an offensive team member?
__________________
"Let's face it. Umpiring is not an easy or happy way to make a living. In the abuse they suffer, and the pay they get for it, you see an imbalance that can only be explained by their need to stay close to a game they can't resist." -- Bob Uecker
|