Out of the lane? (Video)

[David Emerling]

Originally Posted by DG

The catcher would have helped the case if he had plugged the runner in the back, instead of trying to throw around him.

In FED, RLI because they don't want quality throw to be a factor, and I suppose they don't want catchers plugging runners in the back. In NCAA, not a quality throw.

Catchers (on well coached teams) are never taught to "plug a batter" because, if he misses the batter, you may end up with both a bad throw and no interference call.

Instead, if the catcher notices the runner is out of the lane and blocking his throw, he should target the first baseman, not the runner. That's not to say he should throw around the runner, rather, he should throw through the runner. Just pretend the runner is invisible. If it hits him - fine! You should get an interference call. If it misses him - fine! You were throwing to the first baseman anyway.

The mistake this catcher made, obviously, was trying to loft the ball over the runner - exactly what the runner was hoping for, I imagine.

So, the consensus seems to be: FED = interference. NCAA/OBR = nothing.