Play of the Day
 

Runners on 1st and 2nd. Batter hits the next pitch back at the pitcher. Both runners leave as soon as the ball is hit. The pitcher misses the catch but clips it with his glove and deflects it towards the 2nd and SS who are in position to make the catch. Unfortunately it hits the runner from second in the leg and it is deflected out of play. What's the call?

Dead ball, it's a batted ball out of play, 2 bases. No INT, but R1 probably in pain ("from second in the leg and it is deflected out of play").

Ruleset?
As I understand it, in NFHS, this is interference. In ASA, we'd have to believe that the runner intentionally used his leg to interfere to get the out.

While FED does not consider the pitcher touching the ball to be the initial play, there is a rule in FED basically the same as ASA which states if the ball is deflected and the runner did not have a chance to avoid the ball, the runner is not out. I will have to find it.

FED 8-8-6

Yeah. The philosophy is that runners must know they have to avoid fielders, so even on a deflected ball from the pitcher, they should be able to avoid the fielder making a play.

But, they realize the runners often cannot avoid a batted ball that the pitcher deflects, so that makes it a judgment issue. If the runner could, she has to; if you judge she couldn't, the ball remains live.

re: The OP play, Fed rules, and "initial play".

The initial play rule applies to a runner interfering with a fielder, not with a runner being hit with a deflected batted ball.

For argument's sake, lets say the umpire judges that the runner could have avoided the ball, and just failed to do so. With the ball still airborne, and catchable by F6, and two runners off their bases - what's your call (ASA / FED)

If the call is anything but "play the bounce" then SB rules are idiotic. :D

There is a world of difference between "just failed to do so" and deliberately/actively allowed/caused contact. Which are you asking? :confused:

The key phrase in FED rule 8-8-6 and ASA 8-8F is that the runner "could not avoid contact with the ball."

To me, a ball batted hard enough that the pitcher deflects it toward F6 and it remains catchable before it hits R1 going from second to third is one that I could easily judge R1 could not avoid. It wasn't as if the ball was just bouncing toward F6 and R1 looked at it as she/he headed toward the base.

Yeah, too bad we don't have sensible rules, such as the manager has officially entered specifically the left handed pitcher warming in the bull pen when he raises his left arm while walking to the mound. Like that. :D

And let's not forget the FED baseball balk rule, where a game-winning home run gets nullified if the pitcher balked during his delivery. Or have they finally come to their senses and changed that? :p