Skip to main content

8 replies

Need help with a rule...

Gater022Gater02210+ posts
Ok, i was out scouting a league opponent today and saw something Ive never seen before...

Let me start by explaining the ground rules at the field... Really short fence in left. The fence is tall (30 feet). As you get passed left center the fence gets deeper and drops down to a 10 foot fence. Ground rules- ball hit over the 30 foot fence in left is a ground rule double. Any ball hit over the shorter fences (everywhere else) is a home run.

The away team is batting... two men on (second and third). The away teams cleanup hitter hits one toward left center. The ball was a bomb however it was close to the end of the 30 foot fence. The away team's thirdbase coach runs onto the infield grass while the ball is in the air to get a better view of whether its a double or homerun. He didnt just take a couple steps over the line, he was a good 10-15 feet onto the infield in fair territory. The coach didn't seem to interfere with any fielders or baserunners. The umpire called ground rule double because the ball went over the 30 foot high (short) fence near left. Both runners scored. The home team didn't put up much of a complaint and the home plate ump said "coach, you cant just run onto the field while the ball is in play."

Is just a warning the proper call here? What would've happened if the home team argued? Is this interference? Could they argue the batter should be out?
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

M Matt1310,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Gater022:
Ok, i was out scouting a league opponent today and saw something Ive never seen before...

Let me start by explaining the ground rules at the field... Really short fence in left. The fence is tall (30 feet). As you get passed left center the fence gets deeper and drops down to a 10 foot fence. Ground rules- ball hit over the 30 foot fence in left is a ground rule double. Any ball hit over the shorter fences (everywhere else) is a home run.

The away team is batting... two men on (second and third). The away teams cleanup hitter hits one toward left center. The ball was a bomb however it was close to the end of the 30 foot fence. The away team's thirdbase coach runs onto the infield grass while the ball is in the air to get a better view of whether its a double or homerun. He didnt just take a couple steps over the line, he was a good 10-15 feet onto the infield in fair territory. The coach didn't seem to interfere with any fielders or baserunners. The umpire called ground rule double because the ball went over the 30 foot high (short) fence near left. Both runners scored. The home team didn't put up much of a complaint and the home plate ump said "coach, you cant just run onto the field while the ball is in play."

Is just a warning the proper call here? What would've happened if the home team argued? Is this interference? Could they argue the batter should be out?


Well, there was no play to be had, so he didn't interfere; he didn't assist any runners; he seemed just to be a bit excited. The only thing during the play I'm worried about is the potential for unsportsmanlike conduct, but absent that, yes, a warning is appropriate.
piaa_umppiaa_ump5,000+ posts
Not to hijack the thread, but I think we agree on the answer of the OP....but I have a question for all of the crew here....

In the OP, there is the following statement....

"Really short fence in left. The fence is tall (30 feet). As you get past left center the fence gets deeper and drops down to a 10 foot fence. Ground rules- ball hit over the 30 foot fence in left is a ground rule double. Any ball hit over the shorter fences (everywhere else) is a home run."

The home team has constructed a 30 foot tall fence in an admittedly short left field.....yet they are establishing a ground rule saying that anything hit over it will be a double...

The OBR states in rule 7.05 Each runner including the batter-runner may, without liability to be put out,
advance—
(a) To home base, scoring a run, if a fair ball goes out of the playing field in flight and
he touched all bases legally;

Both Fed and OBR state that the ground rules may not supersede the printed rules.....

So do we proceed with the ground rules as requested or would you push back on this?..
MU Mr Umpire100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by piaa_ump:
Not to hijack the thread, but I think we agree on the answer of the OP....but I have a question for all of the crew here....

In the OP, there is the following statement....

"Really short fence in left. The fence is tall (30 feet). As you get past left center the fence gets deeper and drops down to a 10 foot fence. Ground rules- ball hit over the 30 foot fence in left is a ground rule double. Any ball hit over the shorter fences (everywhere else) is a home run."

The home team has constructed a 30 foot tall fence in an admittedly short left field.....yet they are establishing a ground rule saying that anything hit over it will be a double...

The OBR states in rule 7.05 Each runner including the batter-runner may, without liability to be put out,
advance—
(a) To home base, scoring a run, if a fair ball goes out of the playing field in flight and
he touched all bases legally;

Both Fed and OBR state that the ground rules may not supersede the printed rules.....

So do we proceed with the ground rules as requested or would you push back on this?..

I think it would be a good idea to get those in writing and approval from the governing body.

I think I would have to push back. It takes a lot of guess work out of the equation as to whether it was over that last 30 foot pole or not. Until I am told by my association to allow it, I would have to go with regular baseball rules. If they don't like it, raise the fence or push it back.

I'm just glad I don't do that field b/c a HC may be leaving before the plate meeting is over.
Gater022Gater02210+ posts
The field mentioned in the original post is not my homefield... however I haved played there. When I questioned the ground rules earlier this season the coach said, that's the way its always been.
However, I can think of several schools in the area with similar ground rules. The umpires (NFHS rules) usually follow the hometeams "groundrules".
jjkjjk500+ posts
We played at a local HS that had a about 250 LF but quickly out to 300' after maybe 30'. They played it is a dinger. So no, I've never seen a down grade of a ball hit out, but I've seen the opposite.

A local field a dinger is awarded if a ball hits above a line in the LF wall, yet still stays in the yard. It's an 8'fence, 310 all the way around except a huge section 30+', protecting a parking lot.

Also one that has light poles inside the fence from L to C, with big tall pads that extend well above the 6' fence. Hits above the pad it's a dinger.
Swing over to R the score board and light controls are boxed inside a kickout (kick in, in this case), ball inside the kick out 2b, off the scoreboard and in, dinger.

Yet, another with a tree hanging well above and weil into LF field, hits the tree and stays in 2 base, hits the tree and goes out dinger.

Add Reply

Post
.

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×