Is this questionable?

[Dave Reed]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Sounds like the runner in the OP was interferring with F2 trying to tag him. The runner was not trying to advance to home plate and his sole intent was to crash the catcher, who was in the process of fielding the throw. JMO.

You envision the play differently than I do. The reason I asked for the cite from J/R is that I visualize the play as one which would get no call in a MLB game. And I think J/R supports that with the phrase: "......disregards his try to get to a base safely......". I think the runner was clearly trying to reach home plate.

It is a stretch to call this play a "tag attempt". A tag attempt requires the fielder to have the ball in his possession. In the OP, the ball arrives as R2 knocks down the catcher. Think of ARod slapping at the fielder on his way to first-- that's interference with a tag attempt.

ozzy6900, I don't think anyone here is confused by the phrase "offensive interference". It certainly didn't cause me to challenge canadaump6, who is after all only echoing J/R's terminology. In baseball, we have umpire interference, spectator interference, and catcher's interference. None of those are the responsibility of the offense.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Dave Reed

You envision the play differently than I do. The reason I asked for the cite from J/R is that I visualize the play as one which would get no call in a MLB game. And I think J/R supports that with the phrase: "......disregards his try to get to a base safely......". I think the runner was clearly trying to reach home plate.

It is a stretch to call this play a "tag attempt". A tag attempt requires the fielder to have the ball in his possession. In the OP, the ball arrives as R2 knocks down the catcher. Think of ARod slapping at the fielder on his way to first-- that's interference with a tag attempt.

I was mostly basing my opinion on the fact that the play occurred "six feet up the 3rd base line." I felt that the runner should have used other means to get by the catcher other than using flying elbows and a body block. One of the criteria J/R used was "assault the fielder." Sounded like a pretty good mugging to me!

[johnnyg08]

do we take into consideration that the runner had to alter his path? or do we consider that he could've altered his path and still scored just as quickly w/o having to go through F2?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I was mostly basing my opinion on the fact that the play occurred "six feet up the 3rd base line."

I will point out that "six feet up the 3rd base line" is just outside (about 6")the edge of the batter's box, if measured from the spot where the foul line meets the plate. That's only about 1 stride (maybe just over) for a runner.

To be clear, I'm not disagreeing with the way you seem to be envisioning the play. I'm only pointing out that the OP hasn't been back to clarify.