Whats the call

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Runner of second, delay steal to third. The SS steps into the baseline, gets a snap throw at her ss position from the catcher. The ball and runner arrive at the SS at the same time. Major collision, ball rolls into outfield. Runner advances to home and scores. Whats the call ?

The verdict we got and i'm not kidding here, was ordinarily the SS would be called for defensive interference since she was in the baseline. But since the runner had such a violent collision with the SS, the rule flips to offensive interferance. The ump then stated "it's in the ASA rule book".

Any input is appreciated.

 

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Interference on the SS.... as catching a ball from a catcher is not like fielding a hit ball where the SS has the right to field the ball in the baseline. She has no right to the base line to catch the ball... and incidential contact does not come into play.

Runner gets third.. and any other base ( home) she is at peril of getting out.

 

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Sounds like incidental contact to me, despite the severity of the collision. It would be obstruction on the fielder if she didn't have the ball. (I don't believe there can be interference on a defender, except for catcher's interference with a batter.) Since the ball and the runner arrive at the shortstop at the same time, it's hard to make a case that the shortstop should not have been there, since she's allowed to make that play. (It might be different if the shortstop was simply standing there not receiving a throw.)

And while the runner has an obligation to avoid contact with defenders fielding a ball, receiving a throw, or making a throw, it sounds like this contact was unavoidable, as least as presented in the initial post. So the best option of the three sounds like incidental contact, rather than obstruction or interference.

 

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If she's not FIELDING the ball, than she can't be in the baseline. Doing a trick play from the catcher isn't fielding the ball. Should have been defensive interference runner gets 3rd. Bad call!!

 

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No obstruction if the ball and runner arrived at the same time. Contact by the runner, if it was malicious (elbows to the face, hard shove, lowered shoulder etc.), might result in ther runner being called out (and ejected). In the case described, a "no call" seems like the best call.

 

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This play could spin off several different directions, depending on who did what, how they did it and when they did it.

Did the fielder catch the ball before the contact? If NOT, then on a play like this, there is no such thing as "incidental contatct". It's obstruction (by the defense).

F6 has no right to impede the runner just because she's in the act of receiving a throw. As someone already noted, fielder's have the right of way while fielding a batted ball. They don't have the same right to be in the runner's path when receiving a throw (speaking high school or ASA- it's different for NCAA).

Since F6 "stepped into the baseline" to receive the throw, I take it that she moved INTO the runner's path. When a fielder suddenly and unavoidably moves into a runners path for a throw, it's not the runner's fault if they collide...and it's not interference.

If she DID have the ball before the contact, it could be incidental contact. It would only be obstruction if the runner had to slow down or change course due to F6 being in her basepath BEFORE she received the ball. If the runner wasn't impeded before F6 got the ball, then unavoidably ran into her after she had it, that would be incidental contact- neither obstruction or interference.

If the fielder had the ball, the runner wasn't obstructed, then the runner purposely tried to dislodge the ball, it's interference. If the runner purposely tried to contact the fielder with excessive force or intent to injure, it's malicious contact (high school) or unsportsmanlike conduct (ASA).

By the way...the explanation you got from your umpire was wrong on several points, and definitely IS NOT in the ASA rule book.

 

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Bretman put things more clearly than I did, but I was heading in the same direction, even if I was wrong about the "right" of a defender receiving a throw. For me the key phrase in the initial post is "ball and runner arrive at the SS at the same time." But as Bretman points out, that raises some questions that determine what the call should be. I would think the central question, though, is whether the SS is in possession of the ball prior to contact. If not, it sounds like obstruction. If so, then it could be interference, as Bretman points out.

Isn't this situation essentially what happens in run-downs? Whether one considers it a "trick" play or not doesn't really have any bearing.

 

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The runner actually looked back towards the catcher and seen the ball coming at her. She jumped up to get out of the way of the ball as the SS step forward to the ball. It was a scrimmage so I let it go , we were chuckling about it in the dugout.