ASA mens' fast-pitch game. I'm working plate. Batter bunts a few feet in front of home plate. BR runs about two feet inside the foul line all the way to 1B. F2 gets the bunted ball, starts to throw to F3 at 1B, but hesitates because BR in the way of the throw. F2 then takes a few steps toward the pitcher's mound in order to get a clear throwing lane to 1B and is able to get a throw to F3 just barely beating BR to 1B for the third out.

Between innings, I told BU that I was going to call BR out anyway for interference because he was running inside the foul line all the way to 1B and was in the way of F2 making a throw to 1B. BU tells me that it would not be interference on BR unless F2 actually threw the ball to 1B and it hit BR while BR inside the foul line. Who is right? Was the BU correct when he said that a throw had to have been made before interference could be called on BR?

i'm with you - the ball does not have to hit the runner to have interference in that situation ....

Yes, but he was wrong when he said, It doesn't have to hit the BR, but the BR does have to interfere with the fielder at 1st taking the throw. So, if there is no throw, there is no running lane violation.

I'm with Tom. The interference is not with the throw, it is with the fielder taking the throw. So, not only does a throw have to be made, it must be a quality, on-target, and catchable throw.

And, in your play, at the time of the hesitation, had the B-R made it to the running lane?

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Drop my name in this hat. Unless intentional, you cannot call a BR/R out for interferring with a thrown ball.

Remember, there is no rule forbidding the BR from running wherever they please. The 3' lane violation applies to interferring with a defender attempting to receive a thrown ball at 1B.

Could a case be made that the fielder had to throw high or wide to avoid the BR and thus the throw was un-catchable, would that be INT?

B-R probably had not made it to running lane at first hesitation. However, as F2 moved toward pitcher's mound in order to avoid B-R and make throw to 1B, B-R had reached the running lane (however, still two feet inside foul line) because the throw just barely beat the runner. B-R's incorrect position/location on the basepath clearly caused F2 to move further out in the field in order to have a possible play at 1B; that is why I thought interference on B-R would be the call.

Thanks for all of the information. Your answers to all of my questions have really helped me out this year (first year). Just one other comment about above situation. During high school season (NFHS rules), I thought that veteran umps instructed me that B-R running outside of the running lane (especially inside foul line) was technically always an out on B-R but usually not called unless a play was being made at 1B. Is there a difference in this rule or interpretation of the rule between ASA and NFHS or is it the same in both as you have explained?

No, that would not be interference. That's nothing but a badly thrown ball.

Stairs,
I going to trust my memory of the Fed book here. Read the rule, I think it's Rule 8, Section 4, maybe Article D. The wording of Fed's rule and ASA's rule is essentially the same. Go by what your state body is telling you to call, but I tell the folks in my chapter that the interference is with the catch, not the throw.