Runners on 1st and 2nd, hard hit ball to third base, ball deflects off the third baseman and rolls toward short, while attempting to field the deflected ball the runner collides with the ss. Is this offensive Intererence? The umpire said that since it wasn't the initial attempt on fielding the ball there was no interference.
Offensive Intererence
- Thread starter Oddthomas
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daboss
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Umpire would be correct.
BretMan2
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Yep. Once the ball is deflected, the fielder is no longer considered to be "in the act of fielding a batted ball".
Well, that's a simplistic reading of the rule. There are exceptions that might come into play. For instance, in high school softball if the deflected ball is still within a "step and a reach" of the fielder who deflected it, then you can consider them to still be in the act of fielding the ball. So if a runner ran into this fielder it would be interference.
ASA and others don't have that exception. Once the ball is deflected, the defense had their chance and they don't get a second one!
Additionally, if the runner does something to intentionally interfere with a fielder going after a deflected ball, then it is interference and the runner is out. The premise here is that a deflected ball will take an unpredictable path, and a fielder going after it will to. We don't expect runners to be mind readers and know when a fielder is going to muff the ball and veer in front of them at the last second. When that happens, contacting the fielder just may be unavoidable, but it's not necessarily the runner's fault.
Still, runners don't have the right to blatantly or intentionally run over a fielder who's going after a deflected ball. As long as the contact is unavoidable, there's no penalty.
Well, that's a simplistic reading of the rule. There are exceptions that might come into play. For instance, in high school softball if the deflected ball is still within a "step and a reach" of the fielder who deflected it, then you can consider them to still be in the act of fielding the ball. So if a runner ran into this fielder it would be interference.
ASA and others don't have that exception. Once the ball is deflected, the defense had their chance and they don't get a second one!
Additionally, if the runner does something to intentionally interfere with a fielder going after a deflected ball, then it is interference and the runner is out. The premise here is that a deflected ball will take an unpredictable path, and a fielder going after it will to. We don't expect runners to be mind readers and know when a fielder is going to muff the ball and veer in front of them at the last second. When that happens, contacting the fielder just may be unavoidable, but it's not necessarily the runner's fault.
Still, runners don't have the right to blatantly or intentionally run over a fielder who's going after a deflected ball. As long as the contact is unavoidable, there's no penalty.
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