Mets (10) @ Philly (9) on 7-July-08
 

Us get together and reverse a fan interference call to a HR.

Ball clearly was touched by fans who reached over the fence.

What is the correct call?

The issue is whether the ball would have gone over the fence absent the interference. The crew evidently ruled that it would have: HR. This need not reverse a fan INT call, btw.

If they had ruled otherwise, then the ball would have been dead on the INT and they would have placed the runners (often a double for BR and other runners score). Since this is not a two base award ("ground rule double") they can (but need not) award R1 home.

They did rule fan interference and then got together and decided that the ball (in their judgement) would have left the field. Batter was awarded 4 bases on the fan interference.

(I thought they got it right FWIW)

How can you have interference if the umpires ruled it was a home run?

Do you mean they waved off the interference?

They determined that without the fan interference, it would have been a home run. Therefore, the fan interference is enforced, resulting in a home run. If they had waved off the interference, it would have gone as however many bases the runner advanced.

When a fan touches the ball over the field of play, that's fan interference, and the ball is dead. It only appears that the INT was "waved off" because a HR is a dead ball award, so no further ball-killing was required, and because there's no need to place runners.

But notice that the award of a HR is itself for fan interference: the ball did not clear the wall in flight.