Odd situation in youth ball. runners lst and 3rd, batter swings and misses on steal attempt to 2nd base. Defensive team has "play" on where the catcher fires the ball as if throwing to 2nd and actually throws to SS who then fires home to get the runner from 3rd who breaks for plate.

Batter for some unexplainable reason hits the ball.

Result?

I ruled batter out and runners return to bases. I truly had no idea what proper ruling should be.

Coach of offensive team agreed w/ my ruling.

Coach of defensive team said runner on third out and batter out (but argued at least runner should be out).

My main rationale was that best case scenerio for def. team was one out, but that out was not a sure thing (catcher could drop ball, miss tag, runner could get in a pickle and be safe at either base. I felt I could not call runner out but had to call batter out.

Was I right or wrong???

The closest I figure is Rule 6.06c, batter's interference. Runner trying to score is called out for the batter's interference, if there are less than 2 outs. Batter is not out. However, you did not state the count before that pitch, so if it was strike 3, he's already out. If there were 2 outs, the batter is out regardless, so he does not get up to bat in the next inning. This is also expalined in Rule7.08g.

Although he batted the ball which was weird, it is just considered "any other movement that hinders the catcher's play."

<i> Originally posted by Ernie Marshall </i>

<b> Odd situation in youth ball. runners lst and 3rd, batter swings and misses on steal attempt to 2nd base. Defensive team has "play" on where the catcher fires the ball as if throwing to 2nd and actually throws to SS who then fires home to get the runner from 3rd who breaks for plate.

Batter for some unexplainable reason hits the ball.

Result?

I ruled batter out and runners return to bases. I truly had no idea what proper ruling should be.

Coach of offensive team agreed w/ my ruling.

Coach of defensive team said runner on third out and batter out (but argued at least runner should be out).

My main rationale was that best case scenerio for def. team was one out, but that out was not a sure thing (catcher could drop ball, miss tag, runner could get in a pickle and be safe at either base. I felt I could not call runner out but had to call batter out.

Was I right or wrong??? </b>

In order to answer properly we need more info. How many outs and what was the count on B1?

The applicable OBR rules in your thread are:

<i> OBR 7.08(g) Any runner is out when: He/She attempts to score on a play in which the batter interferes with the play at home base before two are out. With two out, the interference puts the batter out and no score counts; </i>

<i> OBR 7.09 It is interference by a batter or a runner when_
(f) Any batter or runner who has just been put out hinders or impedes any following play being made on a runner. Such runner shall be declared out for the interference of his teammate; If the batter or a runner continues to advance after he has been put out, he shall not by that act alone be considered as confusing, hindering or impeding the fielders. </i>

Summary:

A. No outs or One out, B1 with a count of 2-1 Ruling: R3 is out, other runners return, B1 up with a count of 2-2.

B. 2 outs, B1 with a count of 2-1 Ruling: B1 is out - end of inning - no runs score.

C. No-outs or 1 out, Count of 1-2, Obviously B1 is out on strike 3, but r3 is also out in accordance with OBR 7.09(f)

Pete Booth

Unless I misunderstood...
 

Maybe my reading comprehension score is weak, but I understood that the batter hit the ball when the shortstop threw it back towards the catcher.

Here's what I have:

If the pitch struck him out, then he was out. (And if he was struck out, obviously that was not the third out here, or there would be no question.) Then he interfered on the throw back, so R3 is out, too.

If the pitch did not strike him out, then R3 is out unless there were two outs to begin with. Then the batter is out.

(The batter did swing at the shortstop's throw didn't he?)

Was the batter in the batters box on the pitch from the shortstop?!! We could have an out right there!! ;)

2.00
"A PITCH is a ball delivered to the batter by the pitcher. All other deliveries of the ball by one player to another are thrown balls."

Roger Greene