LLWS - Washington / Connecticut

[RPatrino]

Guys on another board are of the opinion that F6 is afforded some protection on an already fielded ball, and I have not heard what protection they feel he should be given. He has possession of the ball, the runner has the lane, and a fielder with a ball coming at him would cause the runner to stop or try to go around, but he is not obligated to do either by rule. Was F6 trying to throw the ball home when R2 hit him?

[BayStateRef]

Video is here.
Connecticut Wins Thriller In LLWS - ESPN Video - ESPN



You will have to deal with a commercial first. (Video will start at 1:40, which is the start of the play in question.)

[RPatrino]

I have a train wreck, I don't see the fielder getting protection while running around the infield with a ball.

[rbmartin]

2.00—Definitions of Terms.

OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.

INTERFERENCE (a) Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play.

Obstruction? NO (you cannot obstruct if you possess the ball).
Interference? Maybe technically because it states "A PLAY" not just "A THROW" (you could be attempting to make a play while running around with the ball). I would not have called it here. I think "Train Wreck...play on" is the proper ruling here.

[RPatrino]

That is the key to this judgement call. If you judge the fielder was making a play when he was hit by R2, then you have interference. I couldn't tell from the video clip where the fielder was thinking about making a play.

[rbmartin]

Originally Posted by RPatrino

I couldn't tell from the video clip where the fielder was thinking about making a play.

Good point. I would say he was running with the ball thinking about making a play, not actually making one.

[jwwashburn]

If the SS would have tagged the runner instead of running into him that might have been a good idea:-)

[Steven Tyler]

Originally Posted by RPatrino

Guys on another board are of the opinion that F6 is afforded some protection on an already fielded ball, and I have not heard what protection they feel he should be given. He has possession of the ball, the runner has the lane, and a fielder with a ball coming at him would cause the runner to stop or try to go around, but he is not obligated to do either by rule. Was F6 trying to throw the ball home when R2 hit him?

What other board? Evans' board has turned into Smittyville. Haven't looked over there in a long time.

[robbie]

Dead ball. Interference. And I dont even see a coach coming to question / complain. No brainer.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by robbie

Dead ball. Interference. And I dont even see a coach coming to question / complain. No brainer.

You didn't see the huddles with the umpires and both coaches? There were animated conversations. Must have been about where to go for dinner I guess.

[DG]

Looks like SS was running at a runner trapped between 3rd and home. He was making a play on the runner it appears. He was not randomly running around the infield with no idea what he was going to do.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by DG

Looks like SS was running at a runner trapped between 3rd and home. He was making a play on the runner it appears. He was not randomly running around the infield with no idea what he was going to do.

He had three ideas - throw home, throw to 3B, or run at R3. He missed option 4 - tag R2. While he was still pondering his options he collided with R2. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Chris_Hickman]

Haven't posted here in a long time. Even though the fielder had no intention of tagging R2, he did run into him. One could argue that a play is being made on R2. U3 should have signaled no tag. He was surprised. Probably never seen a play like this before. There is no OBS or INT in this play. Just some bad baseball...
Sometime players put us in bad positions where we need to step up and make a call. U3 did not........

[DG]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

He had three ideas - throw home, throw to 3B, or run at R3. He missed option 4 - tag R2. While he was still pondering his options he collided with R2. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

He certainly missed an opportunity to tag the runner who ran into him, but he appeard to be focused on the runner, running at him to make a play on him, either tag him, or more likely make him commit to home and throw there. He never looked at 3b.

[RPatrino]

Originally Posted by Steven Tyler

What other board? Evans' board has turned into Smittyville. Haven't looked over there in a long time.

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