Handling Live Ball... Kind of

[MOofficial]

Had this situation presented to me yesterday, and yes it really happened.

Bases loaded. Pitcher throws a wild pitch back to the back stop, all runners advanced including the runner from 3rd to home. As the catcher is throwing the ball back to the pitcher, the runner that had scored, caught the ball being thrown back to the pitcher. I'm assuming the ball was coming right at him, but maybe not. No other runners advanced on this play.

The person who asked what the ruling should be, is a big time D1 basketball official, so he didn't know the ruling. I told him that I would leave the runners where they were at considering that had already moved up a base and the runners actions have stopped. I said it had nothing to do with the play and no one gained any advantage by the runner who scored catching the baseball. My thought was, don't throw the ball to the backstop and that would have never happened. Also note, that this wasn't an 8u game, this was high school baseball. Now I remember, why I gave up high school baseball...

I looked in the case book and rule book and shockingly I could not find anything on this play. Any help would be much appreciated along with a rule reference as to where I could find this in a book and show him.

[bob jenkins]

I would treat it as you suggested. Interference is "hindering the defense's ability to make a play." No play, no interference.

[BEAREF]

Originally Posted by MOofficial

Had this situation presented to me yesterday, and yes it really happened.

Bases loaded. Pitcher throws a wild pitch back to the back stop, all runners advanced including the runner from 3rd to home. As the catcher is throwing the ball back to the pitcher, the runner that had scored, caught the ball being thrown back to the pitcher. I'm assuming the ball was coming right at him, but maybe not. No other runners advanced on this play.

The person who asked what the ruling should be, is a big time D1 basketball official, so he didn't know the ruling. I told him that I would leave the runners where they were at considering that had already moved up a base and the runners actions have stopped. I said it had nothing to do with the play and no one gained any advantage by the runner who scored catching the baseball. My thought was, don't throw the ball to the backstop and that would have never happened. Also note, that this wasn't an 8u game, this was high school baseball. Now I remember, why I gave up high school baseball...

I looked in the case book and rule book and shockingly I could not find anything on this play. Any help would be much appreciated along with a rule reference as to where I could find this in a book and show him.

If he were just a high school basketball official would he have know the ruling?