interference

quote:

Originally posted by Fmwarriors:
This last weekend, my son was on third and the squeeze was called. The batter laid down a bunt that was a slow roller between third and pitchers mound. As my son was about one step from the plate, the catcher ran into him. The ball stopped halfway between home and the mound. The batter beat out the throw. My son was ruled out even though he was basically on top of the plate when the collision occured. Was this the correct ruling? It does not make since for him to stop in the batters box in order to avoid the catcher. Plus he was running full speed.

If the catcher was attempting to field the ball at the time of the collision, the runner has to avoid him. If he does not, his guilty of interference and he is out.

If the catcher was not attmempting to field the ball and did not have possession of the ball, then he committed obstruction and the runner should have scored.

First welcome to HSBBW, you will learn a lot about baseball here. Next it should have actually been interference on the catcher. No defensive player (in this case catcher) can block a base without the ball. Your son should have been called safe and depending on what the umpire thoughts were of the catcher's intention, the catcher could have been ejected.

quote:

Originally posted by kevins1:
First welcome to HSBBW, you will learn a lot about baseball here. Next it should have actually been interference on the catcher. No defensive player (in this case catcher) can block a base without the ball. Your son should have been called safe and depending on what the umpire thoughts were of the catcher's intention, the catcher could have been ejected.

1. Defense obstructs. Offense interferes.

2. There is no ejection for obstruction unless the contact is malicious, e.g. designed to injure.

quote:

Originally posted by Fmwarriors:
This last weekend, my son was on third and the squeeze was called. The batter laid down a bunt that was a slow roller between third and pitchers mound. As my son was about one step from the plate, the catcher ran into him. The ball stopped halfway between home and the mound. The batter beat out the throw. My son was ruled out even though he was basically on top of the plate when the collision occured. Was this the correct ruling? It does not make since for him to stop in the batters box in order to avoid the catcher. Plus he was running full speed.

"As my son was about one step from the plate, the catcher ran into him."

What happened?
As in tagged him? Did the catcher have the ball? Then yeah I'd have an out.

Was he called out because of a tag, or because of a collision? If the latter, was he ejected as well? He may be risking an interference call as well.

A player with the ball awaiting to make a tag is protected in youth ball. If F2 had the ball then the onus is on the runner to attempt to avoid.
The simplest measure for the runner is to legally slide. If the runner doesn't slide then he has to try and avoid, he can't just run into the defender.

I told my son to slide from now on and it should rule out any questions. I don't know if the catcher was trying to get the ball or not. He should have been at home because the bases were loaded one out and let the pitcher field the ball. A coach I work with thought that the ball had to pass the mound in order for there to be interference. Has anyone ever heard of this.

quote:

Originally posted by Fmwarriors:
A coach I work with thought that the ball had to pass the mound in order for there to be interference. Has anyone ever heard of this.

Only in Calvin Ball.