CAN WE GO THROUGH THE RUNNER INTERFERENCE AGAIN? (NEW THREAD)

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by Gre144
So what Bob is saying is that it is irrelevent if the defense has a chance to make a play or not. The only important factor is whether the ball passes through the imaginary string before hitting the runner (the runner is safe) or the ball passes the imaginary string after hitting the runner(the runner is out). Am I interpretating his string theory correctly for Fed rules?

Greg

The "theory" behind the rules is a little different.

In OBR, a general statement is that the runner is out if he interferes with a batted ball. The exceptions to the rule are if the ball is deflected, or if the runner could reasonably have expected a fielder to field the ball (that is, the ball passes through, or immediately by, the fielder). But, in an exception to the (fielding) exception, if another fielder has a play, the runner is still out. (There is no exception to the deflection rule -- but it applies only to the runner making contact with the ball, not to the runner making contact with a fielder.)

In FED, a general statement is that the runner is out if he interferes with a fielder making a play. (Note the distinction with the OBR ruling.) An assumption is that if the ball has not passed any fielder (the "string" test), then a fielder had a play, and the runner is out. If the ball has passed a fielder, then the umpire must judge whether another fielder had a play. This is the same as the OBR exception, except it applies anytime the ball has passed the string, not just when the ball passed "through or immediately by" a fielder. (FED also has the same exception as OBR for a deflected ball.)