Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Reed
Go back to my original post to see where Manny thinks that if the glove is over and past the fence, interference can't be called. That's wrong.
|
Not true. When a player reaches into the crowd for a foul ball, his glove is "over and past the fence". I know you're not suggesting interference can still be called in this case.
As for the play in question, I may be wrong in my interpretation of 3.16. I was always led to believe that if a fielder reaches over the fence to rob a home run, he's in the same situation as the fielder on the foul ball. But I suppose the issue isn't so much where the glove is; rather, it's where the ball is when the fan touches it.
But if that's the case, that's one heckuva dilemma for an umpire to judge. If in this play, the fan touched the ball not on the playing field side but beyond it, then there clearly wouldn't be interference. So the umpire is left to judge where the ball was relative to the top of the fence when the fan touches it.
This is different than what happened in the Jeffrey Maier case. There, Maier reached down under the level of the wall and touched a ball that wasn't heading into the stands.
Video: BB Moments: '96 ALCS, Gm 1: Fan Helps Jeter's HR | MLB.com