Another Interference Question

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by Hoosier_Dave

because..........

POE #14E "If the ball, runner, and the defensive player all arrive at the same time and contact is made, the umpire should not invoke the collision rule (interference) or obstruction. This is merely incidental contact."

It's important to read the POE's. It's 10 times as important to apply them to the cases they are meant to apply to... read the REST of this POE. This POE is clearly about a fielder receiving a thrown ball.

The runners have responsibility to avoid any fielder trying to field a ball. Failure to do so is interference - dead ball - and an out. However, a fielder who stops trying to field a ball in order to disrupt a runner is no longer fielding a ball - and is now guilty of obstruction instead, with all the penalties that entails.

Also note - you say that if the umpire DID call this interference, you'd still score the runner. How are you going to justify scoring this runner, who was out between 2nd and 3rd?