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second ball on field...what's the call ?


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12u tournament pool play game.  Top of last inning score 5-5, no out runner on first.  Batter hits clean single up the middle at almost the exact moment a foul ball from an adjacent field lands between F5 and F6.  Ump calls play dead with runners now on 1st and 2nd. 

What should the call be ?  Do over ? Let play stand ?

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5 minutes ago, Guest Coach said:

12u tournament pool play game.  Top of last inning score 5-5, no out runner on first.  Batter hits clean single up the middle at almost the exact moment a foul ball from an adjacent field lands between F5 and F6.  Ump calls play dead with runners now on 1st and 2nd. 

What should the call be ?  Do over ? Let play stand ?

If everyone knew which was the ball in  play (and it sounds obvious) he should have let play continue.  It does sound like he came up with the likely result though.

There's only one do-over in baseball and this isn't it.

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Guest Coach

For reasons unknown, umps conferred and sent the runner back to first and the batter back to the plate.   Perhaps they believe the SS was distracted and might have had a legitimate play on the grounder if not for the other ball on the field?

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28 minutes ago, Guest Coach said:

For reasons unknown, umps conferred and sent the runner back to first and the batter back to the plate.   Perhaps they believe the SS was distracted and might have had a legitimate play on the grounder if not for the other ball on the field?

Perhaps.  But then it should have been treated as spectator interference, R1 awarded something, and the batter awarded first.

There is only one do-over in baseball. This isn't it.

It should have been protested.

 

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Maybe the umpires, when they go together... one of them said he saw the extra ball entering the field of play and was already calling time prior to the ball being hit? There is processing time between seeing/acting so maybe in that person's mind they had already killed it?

If not... well, looks like a protest opportunity was missed.

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2 hours ago, noumpere said:

My guess (having been there) is the umpire saw the additional ball on (or coming to) the field and instinctively called "time."  That's not covered in the rules.

If he called time after the ball was hit then the result was wrong/

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In an MLB game played on August 5, 2014, between the Reds and Indians, there was a play involving an extra ball on the field—the umpires kept the ball live:

With none out and two on (R1, R3), B1 hit a double to F9, who threw to F4 to F6 as a ball from the defensive bullpen flew onto the field near F4. F6 threw to F5 as R1 dove back to third and was tagged out. 

OBR Rule 5.01(b) states that after the umpire calls "Play" and until the umpire calls "Time," or until for legal cause (e.g., hit batsman, umpire or offensive interference, foul ball, etc.), the ball is alive. Rule 5.12 lists several additional opportunities to call "Time," including weather/darkness, light failure, an accident, mound visit, examination of baseball, fielder falls out of play, and the umpire orders a person removed.

Rule 5.12(b)(8) states, "Except in the cases stated in paragraphs (2) and (3)(A) of this rule, no umpire shall call 'Time' while a play is in progress." According to these rules, the umpire should not kill the ball simply because an extra ball flies onto the field. The circumstance of an extra ball on the field is not listed as an opportunity to stop play.

 

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According to the 2016 BRD (section 167, p. 126), only the NCAA code actually has a rule that covers the extra ball on the field situation and FED now has a case play that addresses this question:

NCAA Rule 6 Dead Ball—Play Suspended

SECTION 5. Time shall be called by the umpire and play is suspended when:

c. An unusual circumstance interferes with the normal progress of the game, such as any crowd action, animal, ball, or other object on the field (see 6-4-a PENALTY);

6-4a PENALTY—The ball is dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as to nullify the act of interference;

2018 NFHS Baseball Rules Interpretations

SITUATION 5: With one out and a runner on third base, the defense is warming up a pitcher in its bullpen, which is located inside the fence in live-ball territory along the left-field fence. A ball from the bullpen gets past the bullpen catcher and goes to the fence to the left of the catcher. Meanwhile, the pitcher throws a wild pitch that gets past the catcher and goes to the fence to the right of the catcher. The catcher retreats to the fence, picks up the bullpen ball and throws it to the pitcher covering the plate for an apparent out on the runner advancing home. RULING: The runner is safe. Only the game ball can be used to record an out. (1-3-1)

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@Senor Azul, thank you for posting these citations. What needs to be stressed to all game participants – players, coaches, and umpires (especially amateur ones) – is that just because a foreign ball enters the field of play (whether from another field, from the stands, or from a bullpen), the umpire(s) won't, and indeed shouldn't, immediately call "Time" and kill a/the play in progress. The umpire(s) should call time when there is an opportune moment without a pitch or play in progress.

There are, of course, rare or "freak" instances... such as a fly ball lofted skyward at the same time as a foul ball enters from an adjacent field. A fielder might confuse the two and catch/play the wrong ball. It's probably best to kill it at that point, and make awards accordingly. 

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On 7/2/2018 at 9:42 AM, Mudisfun said:

Maybe the umpires, when they go together... one of them said he saw the extra ball entering the field of play and was already calling time prior to the ball being hit? There is processing time between seeing/acting so maybe in that person's mind they had already killed it?

If not... well, looks like a protest opportunity was missed.

^^This

If the ball is landing in the field at almost the same time the ball has been hit by the batter the highest likelihood is the BU has seen the foul ball in the air and is in the process of calling time...forewarned by the scream of "heads up!" coming from one of the other diamonds - especially in a quad.

Tournament rules may have additional guidance to dictate how this is handled. Safety is going to be the primary concern...not whether or not the players should know which ball to play.

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