Running lane violation or game over?

[EsqUmp]

Originally Posted by BretMan

Citation? Rule set?

The only "stick and ball" game I'm aware of that has that interpretation is high school baseball.

The runner's positioning causes and altered throw, which affects the fielder taking the throw at 1st base. It's not as technically literal as many umpires make it out to be.

That would be like saying that when the catcher drills the BR 35 feet up the base line, BR didn't affect the fielder's ability to take the throw at 1st base. What affected the play was the fact that the catcher threw the ball into BR's back.

The only difference in logic might be how an umpire can interpret what the catcher is doing and why they are doing it (e.g., looping the ball over the runner). Well, that's pretty obvious. Most catchers attempt to throw hard, online throws. That's how you get runners out; not by chucking the ball 20 feet into the air on a rainbow and hoping it lands in the 1st baseman's glove.