WHAT'S YOUR CALL!

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by etbaseball
If anyone has experienced this play, please relay what action, if any, you took to resolve this issue. This occured today in a Federation game.

One out, R-1 breaks for 2nd base on a 3-2 pitch to B-1. The pitch is ruled a ball, however B-1 crosses in front of the plate and interferes with F-2's attempt to retire R-1 at second.

Can this be interference if it's ball four?

The F-2's throw winds up in center field and R-1 proceeds to 3rd.

What's the call?

How about the same set of circumstances, except the runner is R-2 attempting to steal 3rd base with ball four to the batter who interfers with F-2 trying to retire R-2 at third. What do we have?

I'll wait for you answers, thanks ......

R1 moving on a full count, B1 hinders the catcher's throw after a call of ball four: A good case can be made for an interference call. One does not know what the stealing runner might do. He might overslide second and be tagged out, for example.

Certainly, with 0 or 1 out if the runner advancing is R2, you will call batter interference immediately, call him out, and return R2 to second. (With two out the half inning is over, of course.)

I believe a better mousetrap is to treat the play as if it were weak interference; that is, nobody is out, but runners are not allowed to advance. Other examples are: batter's backswing interferes with a catcher's attempt to glove the pitch, or the batter interferes with the return toss.

I would simply stop play and order it resumed with runners on second and first, all the while realizing there is no specific rule citation (other than 10-2-3g).