Where do you put the BR?

[zm1283]

This play happened a couple of years ago and it wasn't in my game. I forget if I ever posted it on here back then, but here it is anyway....

Bases empty, outs don't matter. B5 hits a sinking line drive into left center that gets to the fence. As B5 is between first and second base, F7 gets to the fence and throws his hands up. As B5 gets to second base, F7 then drops his hands and starts to go in after the ball. B5 then keeps running and ends up at third base as F7 digs the ball out and throws it in. F7 throwing his hands up definitely made B5 slow down. They ended up scoring the BR because they thought he would have scored if F7 had not thrown his hands up.

Where would you guys have put the BR? Does it matter that F7 went in after the ball after he threw his hands up and does that immediately kill the play?

*I later found out that the ball had rolled under the fence and F7 went to get it so he could throw it back in, not so he could throw out the BR.

[yawetag]

I'd leave him at 3B. How is this any different than F6 acting like F2 overthrew on a steal? If the outfielder had left the ball where it was, BR would have only been at 2B.

If this was an attempt to trick the runner from slowing down, then that's the runner's fault. We tell coaches two things during pre-game related to balls that roll under fences:
1. When the fielder sees the ball behind the fence line, throw your hands in the air and do NOTHING to the ball.
2. When the runner sees this, he'd better bust *** around the bases, because the ball may be judged in play (or the fielder may attempt to reach for it)

[JJ]

Yep, I'd leave him at 3rd as well. He should have had at least two coaches and the rest of his team yelling at him to keep running. It's his own mistake that he didn't.
Always make sure in your home plate conference that you tell team reps that if a ball goes under, though, bounces over or sticks in a fence to get the hands up and get away from the ball until an umpire can get out there to take a look at it.

JJ

Baseball's coming.....

[BretMan]

The ball becomes dead when an umpire declares it dead, not when a player "raises his hands". If an outfielder raises his hands, all it tells an umpire is, "Maybe you need to come out here and take a closer look". If the player fishes around and comes up with the ball before an umpire has a chance to confirm that the ball has indeed left the field, he runs the risk of the ball remaining live.

I can't imagine calling obstruction on an outfielder just because a runner didn't understand this concept and stopped running. That's on him. I would leave him at third base.

[johnnyg08]

I agree with all posted. Tough $hi* that the runner slowed down when the left fielder lifted up his hands, and tough that the defense gave him an extra base by reaching under the fence. Poor coaching if you ask me if it was high school level or higher anyway. Kids will do anything. Heck the defensive coach may have even told his players but in the heat of the moment they grabbed the ball. Offensive coach will beg for anything...heck, some umps would probably believe him and call obstruction...everything's worth a try

[jicecone]

I agree, this is pre-game conference material for any field with a fence. If the coach does not inform or teach his players how to deal with it, well it his problem.