Curious on a ruling in the Braves/Nats game last week.
When Desmond hit the ball into the corner and it got "lodged" under the fence, Upton raised his hands signalling the ball was stuck....the umpire did not stop play and Desmond rounded the bases. Upon seeing this, Upton reached down, picked up the ball and threw it in.
I always heard (and instructed the kids I coached) that if a ball goes out of play or becomes unplayable, raise your hands and DON"T TOUCH THE BALL until the ump inspects it. I was always told (even by umpires in pre-game meetings) that if a player signals the ball is unplayable and then reaches down and disturbs the ball...it destroys the players claim the ball is unplayable and play continues.
My question is....is this actually a rule? If so, why wasn't the play allowed to stand once Upton reached down and "disturbed" the ball when he picked it up and threw it?
Thanks
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