Thank you all for playing and the correct answer is no interference on the throw to the plate no matter if the BR is in or out of the lane. The lane only comes into play on the throw to 1st to retire the BR.
In the game, the PU was asked by the DHC for an interference call and the PU explained that the BR was clearly in the lane and there was no interference. The DHC did not argue and went back to his dugout. I chuckled at the whole thing and when the game was over, I starting to go over the evaluation with the 1st year rookie. Just then the DHC came by us and stopped to say hi. I told him that I was going over an evaluation and he asked if I could explain the rule correctly to the rookie. He and I both started laughing (we've known each other for over 30 years) and I told him to go ahead and explain it. He did and the rookie learned several things:
- Know your rules as you will be tested!
- Be respectful and you will get respect!
- Sometimes when a coach walks away from an argument, he may know more than you do!