|
I know the batter has to do something intentional in the batters box to get an interference call, and that an act out of the batters box does not have to be intentional to get interference but how would you call this one?
Batter has habit of stepping out of box to clear area around plate when runner is on base, any base not just 3rd. She does not delay the game just her way of making sure she is clear of the catcher/play at home. R1 on 2nd, R2 on 1st pitch comes in in the dirt batter again starts backing up at an angle from the plate toward 3rd base dugout looking at runners running, same movement she has on every other pitch, runners are doing a double steal. Ball that was in the dirt deflects off F2's shin guard and rolls into retreating B3's foot altering it's course back toward the fence instead of further from the plate. Catcher changes her course slightly and IMO has control of the ball at almost the same time she would have had it not contacted B3. I called nothing as the runners were where they would have been anyway IMO. No one questioned, or even mentioned it but I started thinking (working without tools again) What if the ball went further and allowed R1 to score? Would I have interference on batter and runners back to their bases at TOP? Should it have been interference in that case even though I could tell B3 was oblivious to the ball and following her normal "clear the area" routine? What say the experts?
|