Initial Play SNAFU

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by Dakota

They do...

That's just one part of their definition of "Initial Play", Dakota, as you well know.

a. Has a reasonable chance to gain control of a ground ball that no other fielder (except the pitcher) has touched.

It makes no sense whatsoever to say a fielder fielding a batted ball that was deflected by the pitcher is still making an initial play, but then say that a runner who gets hit by a batted ball deflected by a pitcher is not guilty of interference. FED is being inconsistent on how to treat a batted ball deflected by the pitcher, for whatever reason. And they're putting the onus on the runner to know she must still avoid a fielder fielding a deflected ball only if it was deflected by the pitcher.