Dead Ball?
 

FED rules. None on.....B1 hits a slow roller to F6..........F6 fires the ball to F3 and throws wild striking the base coach in the foot. Easy enough, but now here's the twist. The ball continues on toward DBT where the defensive coach has been allowed to stand just in play. Ball strikes the defensive coach and does not go out of play. Is this a live ball?

I can't seem to find any refference to defensive coaches intereference for unintentionally being hit with a live ball. Of course he shouldn't have been allowed to stand where he was, but it happened just the same.

Thanks,

Tim.

Tim,

I am not a Fed rules gurru, but unless the defensive coaches actions were intentional, then the ball is alive and inplay. Who threw the ball away? The defense, so I wouldn't bail them out, but I would get that coach in the dugout.

Live ball, unless the ball touching the coach out of the dugout impacted play in any way. If so, dead ball, and place runners where you think they would have gone absent the interference (ie the reason for calling dead ball). They might not have gone any further than they actually did. It should be the same as if the ball struck equipment outside the dugout.

If striking the coach prevented the ball from going into DBT (your judgement) then award bases as you would if the ball had actually gone into DBT.

I was thinking along the same lines, although it's not explicitly stated like that in the rulebook. I guess you could kind of think of it as "spectator interference," although i don't think it's spectator interference by definition since it was a coach (unauthorized to be on the field).

Treat it the same way is a live ball hitting security, usher, etc that is permitted to on the field.

Post states coach was allowed, so why should we penalize what we OK'd?

Now if it is intentional ...

You're right, though this was the third inning and the crew had allowed him out of the dugout for the previous two, so he should have been warned much earlier. This happened in my sons game and when I asked the coach what exactly what was called he told me the PU ruled it defensive coaches interference, although he admitted there was no intent. I don't believe there is such an animal as defensive coaches interference. Not a big deal really as the play didn't hurt the team too bad.


Tim.

IMO, there's a difference between being "allowed" to stand there and being "authorized" to stand there.

Warn the team, and award bases if the ball would have gone OOB.