Groundball Deflects Off Pitcher/Hits Runner

[Spence]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

If the ball is deflected, R1 is protected from interfering with the BALL (ulesss it's intentional, of course). When it happens, give the "that's nothing" signal and cal.

Note that R1 is NOT protected from interfering with another defensive PLAYER who has a play.

See 7.09 (k) and (j) and note the differences.

Also see 5.09(f) (I think -- that's from memory, and added later)

Getting back to this after reading J and K.

K seems to say he's not out on a deflected ball that hits him UNLESS there is another player who has a play. Am I reading that correctly?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Spence

Getting back to this after reading J and K.

K seems to say he's not out on a deflected ball that hits him UNLESS there is another player who has a play. Am I reading that correctly?

No. The "another player who has a play" applies only to a ball that has gone through or by the first fielder.

[Spence]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

No. The "another player who has a play" applies only to a ball that has gone through or by the first fielder.

So when you said earlier "Note that R1 is NOT protected from interfering with another defensive PLAYER who has a play" does that mean not protected from actually making contact with the defender?

Lastly, other than intentionally kicking a ball is there any scenario where a runner is out for being hit by the batted ball AFTER it is deflected off of any other defender?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Spence

So when you said earlier "Note that R1 is NOT protected from interfering with another defensive PLAYER who has a play" does that mean not protected from actually making contact with the defender?

Being touched by the ball is NOT "interfering with the fielder." The runner could be guilty of interfering with the fielder by yelling at him (under some codes), stopping and blocking his vision, making contact -- any of the ways he could be guilty if the ball wasn't deflected.

Lastly, other than intentionally kicking a ball is there any scenario where a runner is out for being hit by the batted ball AFTER it is deflected off of any other defender?

Not that I can think of.

[Spence]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Being touched by the ball is NOT "interfering with the fielder." The runner could be guilty of interfering with the fielder by yelling at him (under some codes), stopping and blocking his vision, making contact -- any of the ways he could be guilty if the ball wasn't deflected.



Not that I can think of.

Thanks, Bob.

[CT1]

Common sense tells us that we shouldn't hold a runner liable merely for being hit by a deflected ball.