Thread: Ball status
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Old Thu Jan 28, 2016, 11:49am
youngump youngump is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu View Post
I'm still researching...

I found a case play from 2007. It reads:

PLAY 8.6-22
(FP and SP with stealing) With R1 on 1B, F2 drops the pitch and the plate umpire, in an effort to get out of the way, accidentally kicks the ball into the dugout.
RULING: R1 is awarded 1 base from the base held at the time of the pitch. This is treated the same as a wild pitch. (8-5C)

Section C specifically refers to: "a pitched ball that remains live becomes blocked or goes out of live ball territory."

Section G talks to "when the ball is live and is overthrown or is blocked".

So "C" would give the defense a break anytime there are multiple runners on a pitch that gets away, they could just kick it out of play to limit further advance by base runners.

I don't like it. I'd prefer the 2-base award if the defense knocked the ball out of play either accidentally or intentionally.
We got some local direction on this play that a pitch was still a pitch until a play was made (such as the catcher picking it up to throw it to the pitcher). I've reached out to our local UIC to get clarity on this play.

I'd also note that the July 2009 clarification is somewhat problematic because it makes section K meaningless. That's the rule for when a ball is kicked or pushed intentionally out of play. But if we treat an accidental kick like a throw then we are treating it like an intentional kick and the whole thing seems rather a convoluted mess.
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