If the umpire is hit by ball in play, is he considered part of the field or does play stop?
Thanks
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It depends on if it was a batted ball or not. I'm going by MLB rules, if a batted ball touches an umpire before an infielder can make a play on it then the ball is dead and batter gets first base. Otherwise it's play-on.
quote:Originally posted by StyleMismatch:
It depends on if it was a batted ball or not. I'm going by MLB rules, if a batted ball touches an umpire before an infielder can make a play on it then the ball is dead and batter gets first base. Otherwise it's play-on.
This is partially correct.
If an umpire is hit by a batted ball before it passes an infielder then it is umpire's interference and the batter is awarded a single. If it hits an umpire after passing an infielder and no other infielder has a play then it is nothing. If a thrown ball strikes an umpire it is nothing unless the plate umpire is struck by the catcher on his attempt to make a throw to retire a runner. in this case it is a delayed dead ball and if the runner is retired the interference is ignored and if the runner is safe then he (and all other runners) are returned to their time of pitch bases.
I was giving the Reader's Digest version of the rule. 
In it's most basic form, the umpire is a part of the field and if struck by a ball, batted or thrown, it is a live ball. There are exceptions to almost every rule in baseball, but that is the meat and potatoes of it.
Interesting play in yesterday's Vanderbilt/Michigan game. Home plate umpire found himself out of position on a throw home from first. Throw was in time. Ump in the basepath. R3 ran around the umpire to avoid contact. In so doing, he avoided the tag, but also missed the plate. Initially called safe at home, though he never tagged the plate. After a huddle, R3 was called out at the plate.