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The key phrase in FED rule 8-8-6 and ASA 8-8F is that the runner "could not avoid contact with the ball."
To me, a ball batted hard enough that the pitcher deflects it toward F6 and it remains catchable before it hits R1 going from second to third is one that I could easily judge R1 could not avoid. It wasn't as if the ball was just bouncing toward F6 and R1 looked at it as she/he headed toward the base.
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"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
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