Offense opens the gate

[Skahtboi]

The gate is part of the field. What if it wasn't working properly, and was left open to allow field access. Do we punish the offense for that? No. No more than we do on dugouts where there are no gates at all.

To me, it appears that we are punishing the offense for the design of the field, rather than a normal act of the game.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

The gate is part of the field. What if it wasn't working properly, and was left open to allow field access. Do we punish the offense for that? No. No more than we do on dugouts where there are no gates at all.

To me, it appears that we are punishing the offense for the design of the field, rather than a normal act of the game.

This isn't a design issue. The design of the gate is to keep the ball in play and protect the participants by deflecting the ball away from the dugout. Opening the gate defeats the purpose of such a designed field.