Left Early on a Caught Fly

[NFump]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

johnny,

Good find. I'm embarrassed you beat me to it.


To me, though counterintuitive, this is really pretty simple.

From Rule 2, we have the defintion of "catch":



From the MLBUM we have a definition of a "play", as the word is used in the context of 7.05(g):



Since, by definition, a play can only be made by a fielder who already has possession of the ball, and a catch can only be made by someone who doesn't have possession of the ball, a catch cannot, by definition, be a 7.05(g) play.

JM

First, the play johnny posted proved nothing, first play doesn't even come into it. Award was same TOP or TOT.

It's pretty obvious you need possession before the legitimate effort, just as you have to have possession before you have a catch, thus a catch can only be made by a player WITH possession. The sticking point is the effort part. Is there a legitimate effort being made by the fielder in catching a fly ball to retire a runner? Legitimate meaning legal, effort meaning action.