Saw this yesterday
 

Was watching college fast-pitch softball and saw a weird play to end the Florida/Alabama game. Not so much interested in what the correct softball call was, or if it's different in baseball, but wanted to know what would have happened if the same thing happened in baseball.

Situation is two outs, bases loaded. BR hits one back up the middle that ticks off the top of F1's glove toward F4. F4 has to alter their path to the ball (was going up the middle, now having to go back to their left). In the process they are now on a collision course with R1. F4 pulls up to avoid contacting R1 (who is in the basepath) and therefore can make no play.

What do you have? I'll let you know how it was ruled (again, this is NCAA softball so the rule set would be different) but as a coach I would love to know the correct baseball interpretation of this situation. Thanks.

Runner interference in baseball.

If you're hit by the deflected ball you're OK but there's no escaping the fact that you cannot interfere with the fielder no matter what.

Saw it in action. I've got INT. Don't listen to what the talking heads say about once the ball is deflected you can't have interference. I'll chime in later also with what I think should have happened.

Thanks Tx and Rich, that's what I thought too when I viewed it live. The officials rules no interference (I think it was basically a "play on") and let the run score that ended up finishing the game.

Would love to hear what should have happened, but I'm thinking you've got an out on R1 (Fed 5-1-1e?) and the inning's over since it's the 3rd out (i.e., don't need to consider if the BR would have been out as well on a possible double play).

Don't work softball, but can't imagine why INT would not be called in softball.

You make no mention wether F4 had a play or not, only that F4 stopped. Was there any contact? HTBT situation. On a deflection unless F4 still has a legitimate chance at a play well, then there could be nothing. If contact and no chance of a play, possible OBS. HTBT.

Seems as though txump81 saw the play so I go with him. HTBT.

There was a chance at a play at 1B.

NCAA rules, so I've got an out on R1. All runners return to their TOP bases since BR has not reached 1B. 11.20

If there really were no INT, 1BU should have been selling the safe signal with a "No interference", safe call, "No interference". As the play happened, he did nothing at all.

FYI, F4 had to check up to not collide with R1 and then proceeded to field the ball and maybe got clipped by R1's heel. F4 ended up rolling on her back into the infield. Run scored, game over.

"Losing coach" comes out and catches umpires behind 3rd base as they are leaving. The umpires then have a conversation and 1BU comes back to the coach with a "We've got nothing" and then they leave. Coach then has lots of choice words.

The whole last scene could have been alleviated had 1BU done as above.

Link

Go to the 2:58:45 mark to see the play in question.

NCAA fastpitch rules:

12.9.7 (The Runner is Out) When she interferes with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball, interferes with a fielder attempting to throw the ball or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball.
EFFECT—The ball is dead. The batter-runner is awarded first base.
Notes:
1. If a ball ricochets off one defensive player and another player has the opportunity to make a play, the runner will be ruled out if she intentionally interferes with the second fielder.

If the contact, impediment, near-collision, etc. is not intentional, then it's not interference. While runners are expected to avoid fielders in the act of fielding a batted ball, the "exception to the rule" gives the runner the benefit of the doubt on a play where a fielder may suddenly, unpredictably and unavoidably change her path to the ball.

The softball rule is irrelevant. The OP posted the play here to learn the baseball ruling on a comparable play. I would invite further discussion of softball plays to move to the softball forum.

In baseball, it's interference. The only exception to the "fielder has the right of way on a batted ball" provision concerns a fielder who misplays the batted ball himself:

"A fielder is not protected, except from intentional contact if he misplays the
ball and has to move from his original location." (8-4-2g)

The deflected ball is still a batted ball, and the runner must still avoid contacting or otherwise interfering with the fielder.

It is relevant in that the OP did follow-up with a post that further referenced the NCAA softball game outcome and stated that he "would love to know what should have happened".

Well, now he knows...

You're right. He should have posted that question in the softball forum. ;)

Does that mean we need to move Chuck's thread over here?

You're being facetious, but why would we? You wouldn't distinguish a topical thread in the wrong forum from an off-topic thread in the right one?

I disagree that this is interference in baseball. (NFHS) The most current rule book I have with me is 2007, but I cite 8-4-2g, note 1: "If two fielders try and field a batted ball and the runner contacts one or both, the umpire shall decide which one is entitled to field the ball and that fielder only is entitled to protection."

I am leery of calling runner interference on a misplayed ball.

The rule you're citing concerns a play where 2 fielders have a play on the ball. For instance, if the batter hits the ball in the hole, and both F5 and F6 have a play on it. In that case, only one fielder is protected. This provision is quite irrelevant to the case under consideration.

This is not a misplayed ball, it's a deflected ball. And even if you call it misplayed, what provision of the rule shows that it's not interference? The fielder has the right of way unless HE, not a teammate, misplays the ball.

And if you're not going to call INT here, do you realize that you probably have to call obstruction? Not in my game. :)

It is absolutely positively interference in OBR.

MLBUM:

After a batted ball has been touched (deflected) by an infielder, if the ball then strikes a runner (unintentionally on the part of the runner), it is alive and in play despite the fact that another infielder may be in position to field the ball. This is not the case if a fielder is making a play on the ball. Specifically, if a batted ball is deflected by an infielder and another infielder has a play on the ball, the runner must avoid the fielder. If the runner interferes with the fielder making a play — even though the ball has been touched by another fielder — the runner is declared out.
Under the rules, a fielder making a play on a batted ball takes priority.

I was just fascinated with how quickly y'all policed that off-sport question.

Oh, not just any off-sport. ;)

There's a huge difference between a misplayed ball and a deflected ball... this one was not misplayed.

Also, the case you describe refers to two fielders fielding the same ball at the same time (think a popup between 2 fielders).