What's the call?
 

Seen this play last week. 6th inning, with 1 out, home team down a run, I'm a basketball ref, but like to watch baseball. What would the correct call be? runners on 1st and 3rd, umpire behind pitcher towards first base side. Line drive, off umpires chest, ball rolls to pitcher throws to 2nd and then to first, double play??? surely not the right call.... play stood inning over, coach goes nuts, gets thrown out! home team loses by 1 run.. Surely there is something to ump interference? Something about sending runners back, i think.

Dead ball, all runners awarded one base from time of pitch if they're forced. Otherwise they return to their base at TOP.

jritchie,

The situation you described, assuming no fielder had touched the ball prior to it hitting the umpire, is properly ruled "Umpire Interference".

As johnnyg08 suggests, the ball is immediately dead when it hits the umpire in this sitch. However, he's a little off on the award.

The Batter-Runner is awarded 1B, and any other runners return unless forced by the BR's award. In your sitch, the BR gets 1B, the R1 gets 2B, and the R3 stays at 3B.

Rather than getting himself tossed, the Manager should have appealed the umpire's misapplication of the rules and then protested were he found to be unpersuasive.

JM

thanks for the help, knew there was some kind of rule like that!

Umpire interference
 

Wrong, Umpire interference R1 to second, BR to first and R3 stays put

Thanks for your friendly rebuttle to another comment that corrected my ruling on the base award.

And for all you Rule 10 freaks out there, credit the Batter with a single.;)