What Are Your Calls

[whiskers_ump]

Stolen from another site:

Some days in the bleachers are more boring than others... so I look for 'what if' or 'almost happened' situations. What are the calls from the resident experts?

1. R1 on 2nd, R2 on 1st. B1 hits ball to CF. R1 rounds 3B and heads home as R2 rounds 2B and heads to 3B. CF throws to cutoff, who turns and throws home. Catcher receives ball as R1 slides safely home. Fielder at 3B, anticipating cutoff throw that never came, was standing on 3B as R2 reaches 3B and makes contact, impeding R2's turn at 3B. FU indicates obstruction and 3B coach tells R2 to head home, where catcher is still holding the ball from play on R1. Catcher waits and politely tags R2 out as she jogs in to the plate. R2 wasn't obstructed from reaching 3B, she was obstructed from rounding the base. Catcher still had the ball, so there's no judgement R2 would have scored on the play had obstruction not occured.

2. R1 at first, B1 squares to bunt. Fielder at 1B was playing behind the bag and charges, just as R1 takes off on the pitch. Fielder and R1 collide. Pitcher fields ball down the 1B line that fielder at 1B would have legitimately played, and throws to 2B for the force.

3. R1 at 2B, R2 at 1B, 1 out. B1 hit pop fly to SS. Umpire calls infield fly, B1 out. SS loses ball in the sun and starts yelling she lost it. R1 sees an opportunity and takes off for 3B. Ball comes down and hits R1 on the helmet as she runs to 3B. Ball skips away as R1 ends up at 3B and R2 at 2B.

4. R1 at 3B, 1 out. B1 bunts the ball up the 1B line. Fielder at 1B charges as R1 heads home. B1, realizing she will be tagged out, stops and is standing still on the foul line. Fielder realizes she no longer has a double play opportunity, abandons the tag on B1 and throws home to keep the run from scoring. Throw from left-handed fielder hits B1, who is still standing still and upright in the baseline, not far from home plate. R1 scores.

5. And last... this actually came very close to happening. R1 at 3B, R2 at 1B. R2 is stealing on the pitch. Pitcher winds up and the ball comes out during the windmill, heading behind her towards 2B fielder (between 1B and 2B). Fielder charges for ball as R2 heads to second, causing a collision. R1 advances home as R2 gets back to 1B. I presume there are illegal pitch considerations in this one?

[SRW]

Originally Posted by whiskers_ump

1. ... R2 wasn't obstructed from reaching 3B, she was obstructed from rounding the base. Catcher still had the ball, so there's no judgement R2 would have scored on the play had obstruction not occured.

Judgement. DB, OBS on F5, put R2 back on 3B.

Originally Posted by whiskers_ump

2. ... Pitcher fields ball down the 1B line that fielder at 1B would have legitimately played, and throws to 2B for the force.

Judgement. INT, R1 out. Award B1 1B.

Originally Posted by whiskers_ump

3. ... Ball comes down and hits R1 on the helmet as she runs to 3B.

DB, INT, R1 out, BR is out on IF, return R2 to 1B. 3 outs, end the inning.

Originally Posted by whiskers_ump

4. ... and throws home to keep the run from scoring. Throw from left-handed fielder hits B1, who is still standing still and upright in the baseline, not far from home plate. R1 scores.

Bad throw. Score the run. Interference wasn't intentional.

Originally Posted by whiskers_ump

5. And last... this actually came very close to happening. R1 at 3B, R2 at 1B. R2 is stealing on the pitch. Pitcher winds up and the ball comes out during the windmill, heading behind her towards 2B fielder (between 1B and 2B). Fielder charges for ball as R2 heads to second, causing a collision. R1 advances home as R2 gets back to 1B. I presume there are illegal pitch considerations in this one?

INT. Fielder was attempting to field the ball and execute a play. R2 is out. Return R1 to 3B. No IP.

[youngump]

The best way to learn is to try so here's what I have without checking the book.

1. Obstruction between 3rd and Home, runner goes back to third.
2. If we take it that F3 had an opportunity to field the ball interference. Otherwise obstruction and both runners are safe.
3. If hit with a fielder having an opportunity to make a play, then we have interference. BR is not out. Runner is. 1 new out and runners at 1st and 2nd. If we have no fielder with a chance to make a play, dead ball, BR is out and then we just have to sort out the awards. I can't remember on this one if the runners have to be forced to advance and am going to say yes and return them to their bases. But I simply don't remember that rule.
4. Runner hit with a thrown ball who was not committing interference is nothing. As long as she doesn't go backwards and isn't trying to get in the way, I'm not sure I have interference. A runner going to first is entitled to stop just not go backward.
5. No there are no illegal pitch considerations. The pitch is a ball. The collision here sounds like obstruction because the ball is quite a ways from the fielder. So best guess, nhbt, I'd have her safe at second and decide on the award at home.

Okay, folks, there's my ignorance on display, let the constructive corrections begin.
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[youngump]

As to 3, I thought you couldn't double dip interference and the IFR. (The interference prevents us from executing the other penalty)
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[argodad]

I agree with SRW -- except for #5. I have OBS on F4. She isn't fielding a batted ball. (No IP considerations--it's just a ball on the batter and runners can advance at the risk of being put out.) So ... ball on the batter, R1 scores, R2 awarded 2B on the OBS.

[NCASAUmp]

1 - OBS on F5, return R2 to 3B.
2 - If F3 had a legitimate chance at being the fielder to make the play, then INT. Otherwise, OBS. Judgment call.
3 - Depends. Was there a play that could have been made on R1? If so, INT on R1 for interfering with the defense's ability to make the play on HER, not the BR. BR's already out.
4 - Depends. Bad throw, unless the runner was intentionally blocking the throw. I'd judge it based on where the BR was standing. If she's 5 feet inside the foul line, I've got INT.
5 - Don't know. I only do SP.

[argodad]

Originally Posted by youngump

As to 3, I thought you couldn't double dip interference and the IFR. (The interference prevents us from executing the other penalty)

You thought wrong, there YoungUmp. Batter is out on the IFR, but the ball is not dead. If R1 is dumb enough to get hit with a batted ball, then we have INT and a 2nd out.

[rwest]

It depends on when the collision occurred. Until the ball is put into play by the bunt, F3 can't be considered in the act of fielding a batted ball. Therefore, if the collision occurred before the bunt, I have obstruction, if after and F3 was the player most likely to make a play on the ball, then I have interference.

[Scooby]

I disagree on #2 if I am reading it correctly. F3 base is charging on the batter squaring and the contact with R1 occurs before the the ball being bunted (my interpition (sp), correct me if I am wrong) (op does not say when the contact happened).
Ruling: OBS...R1 awarded second and B1 to 1st.

[SRW]

Originally Posted by argodad

I agree with SRW -- except for #5. I have OBS on F4. She isn't fielding a batted ball. (No IP considerations--it's just a ball on the batter and runners can advance at the risk of being put out.) So ... ball on the batter, R1 scores, R2 awarded 2B on the OBS.

You can't have OBS. The fielder is not fielding a batted ball. Rule 1 - OBS.

[BuggBob]

1) Runner was obstructed, by F5, send her back to third. Expect a visit from the defensive coach.
2) If the runner and F3 collide before the ball is bunted…Obstruction, award bases as needed. But if the collision occurred after the ball was bunted… Interference, runner is out, batter may also be out on the interference on a potential double play.
3) IFF for one out, DB out for INT end of the inning.
4) Could it be interference if the batter was not in the running lane?
5) Ball on batter, no illegal pitch, runners advance with liability to be put out. R1 scores, R2 is Obsructed. (Sorry SRW this is the very definition of Obsruction).

Bugg

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by argodad

You thought wrong, there YoungUmp. Batter is out on the IFR, but the ball is not dead. If R1 is dumb enough to get hit with a batted ball, then we have INT and a 2nd out.

You're correct, assuming F6 is behind the runner. If F6 is in front of the runner and no other fielder had an opportunity to make a play, then you have nothing.

[SRW]

Ooh you know what... I may retract my answer on #3... we talked about this play at the UIC clinic in 2007 - you can't get 2 outs on an INT with an IF. If I recall, the BR isn't out until the ball is judged fair, and it doesn't become fair until the runner interferes with it... I believe it was a matter of the INT superceding the IF, and only the runner (not the BR) was out.

hmmm I'll have to look that up.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by BuggBob

1) Runner was obstructed, by F5, send her back to third. Expect a visit from the defensive coach.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by BuggBob

2) If the runner and F3 collide before the ball is bunted…Obstruction, award bases as needed. But if the collision occurred after the ball was bunted… Interference, runner is out, batter may also be out on the interference on a potential double play.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by BuggBob

3) IFF for one out, DB out for INT end of the inning.

Again, depends on where it occurred, and if another fielder could have had an opportunity to make an out.

Originally Posted by BuggBob

4) Could it be interference if the batter was not in the running lane?

I don't think whether or not the BR was in the running lane would affect this play, as the rule, sadly, only pertains to the BR interfering with a throw to 1B. If the BR is running normally, then I'd have no INT. If they are running in a way that puts them too far into fair territory, then I'd have INT, as it would appear that they are intentionally going out of their way to block the throw.

Originally Posted by BuggBob

5) Ball on batter, no illegal pitch, runners advance with liability to be put out. R1 scores, R2 is Obsructed.

Bugg

I'll just have to leave this one up to you FP guys.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by SRW

Ooh you know what... I may retract my answer on #3... we talked about this play at the UIC clinic in 2007 - you can't get 2 outs on an INT with an IF. If I recall, the BR isn't out until the ball is judged fair, and it doesn't become fair until the runner interferes with it... I believe it was a matter of the INT superceding the IF, and only the runner (not the BR) was out.

hmmm I'll have to look that up.

A similar play was described at our NUS this year, but the ball hit the BR in the sitch. The correct call in that sitch was dead ball, BR out for INT.