Jumping over a batted ball

[tzme415]

Speaking ASA SP -
When is a runner jumping over a batted ball considered interference? Does having time to react any differently come into the decision? The other thing is that in Adult Men's SP, most of the infielders stand where they are barely in the infield.

I see runners jumping over the ball alot in Adult SP and am wondering if I should be calling interference more often. I have only called it once and that was when a player appeared to me to actually wait for the ball on a slow hit to time his jump so the fielder couldn't charge the ball.

[Edited by tzme415 on Jul 7th, 2005 at 02:34 PM]

[whiskers_ump]

The runner would be allowed to jump over the ball to keep from getting hit. Timing their jump
directly in front of the defender could be interference.

[Robmoz]

.....Could Be? or .....Should Be?

Do we have a rule reference for this type of action? Please provide.

[debeau]

One needs to look at the definition of interference .
The act of an offensive player or team member that impedes hinders or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play .
So the act of jumping over a batted ball in itself is not interference but if it impedes confuses or hinders then it is .
If the player fields the ball cleanly and makes a play no interference .
If the player bobbles the ball or mis fields due to the act of jumping the ball then interference .
You have to be there to make the JUDGEMENT .

[UmpireErnie]

As debeau states, it is a judgement call. You will not find language in the book that states jumping over the batted ball is or is not interference.

You may have interference in a "jumped over the ball" situation if the runner is attempting to screen the feilder as long as possible or trying to keep the feilder from charging the ball. There does not need to be contact by the runner with either the ball or the feilder for you to decide that interference has occured.

The way I have always treated this is that if the runner runs at a fairly contstant speed and has to jump over the ball to avoid being hit I am probably not going to have interference. Yes, perhaps the runner could have run a little faster and gotten out of the way of the ball but that is pretty much "guessing" an out. On the other hand, if the runner obvisouly changes speeds to time his/her arrival with the ball or stops in front of the ball or dances back and forth in front of the ball, I am probablay going to ring him/her up on an interference call. I have had runners do this and then get very irate; telling me that as long as the ball did not hit them it was simply "smart baserunning". BS!!