Suggested Reading Material

[SAump]

Originally Posted by cc6

I agree with SAump on this one. 5.08: "If a thrown ball accidently touches a base coach, or a pitched or thrown ball touches an umpire, the ball is alive nad in play. However, if the coach interferes with a thrown ball, the runner is out".

End of 3.15: "If it appeared to the umpire that the coach was obviously just making it appear he was trying not to interfere, the umpire should rule interference".

The intent of the base coach determines whether he interferes. We could certainly have intentional interference with a throw. For example, groundball kicks off the first baseman's mit into foul territory. He throws from foul territory to the pitcher covering first, but the base coach intentionally gets hit by the throw. This is a cut and dry case of coach's intereference.

I have my fingers crossed and hope no one else decides to challenge your example. Definitely a STRIKE call "two balls into the gray area" of C&T of the game.

I stated in the earlier thread that I deleted a post explaining why only runners are protected by rule from intentional interference with a thrown ball. It applies 100% of the time and Reggie Jackson's standing in the way of a throw that would have surely caught him off-base deserves all the credit for the adoption. Of course that applied to a runner standing still in the basepath, which is why it is so unique. Credit to CC6 for correctly pointing to a caseplay supporting coach's interference with a thrown ball. Don't exclude 7.08b from the list of authoritative opinion on intereference with a thrown ball in the OP. It only protects a baserunner, so spectators on the same team have to move away. Anyone else willing to reconsider 7.09d and 7.11 as relevant to the OP, here?