Tog Gee

Infield fly rules don't say "... unless the ball is not caught and all runners are safe." They should have called it when the ball went up, but maybe PU thought it was a foul ball? PU was busy trying to stay out of the catcher's way. "If fair" is always implied for infield fly.

I'll take a stab. Though I always coach my kids to disengage when picking off. I think if you fake to 2B and somehow remain engaged, you can throw to 1 or 3 if you first step there with the free foot.

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No way. I am pondering/proposing that "trying to draw contact/hindering a defensive player in a rundown" could be interference.

Yup, nor can the offense play on and benefit/advance. IF it's actually interference. Flopping/drawing calls is for soccer, not baseball.

Agree. The runner is obviously interfering, but arguably not rulebook interference. The catcher needs to continue through to 3rd base on the rundown. The runner is simply trying to draw OBS. What if the catcher went down and later when the runner returns to third there was no one there to receive the ball (catcher was still down?) What if the catcher rolled his ankle on the intentional contact? Arguably, the runner intentionally prevents the catcher from making a play/getting into position. Argument to be made to kill the play on the runner's move into the catcher.

Yeah what a racket. Kids should be able to get a rules PDF for free. Not to mention their app was a hassle.

Great point.

Gosh, I do understand the ruling, but if the batter bails, the catcher could be free to go wherever he likes. How can you interfere with a batter that's 6 feet away from the plate? Or maybe the batter will sometimes bail out because of the catcher jumping onto the plate? So we have to grab INT/OBS? (based on principle)

That umpire is confused. Pitcher CAN always fake to 2B regardless of whether they spin or make an inside move. Don't have to fake a throwing motion either. A pitcher CAN balk when picking to second, for example, if the lead foot/free foot doesn't step (enough) towards second base or gain (enough) ground towards second base. I think in college rules, officials want to see the lead foot clear past the plate towards second base. Look here for legal feint: (2:18)

Would not deter me. But I find the tech easy and value this site immensely. Authenticator apps would be a barrier for some. Can the authentication be verified simply by email or text?

A pitcher can naturally disengage the plate by picking off (and by pitching). A RHP pitcher can even step with the free foot towards third and just keep running towards third. Say, if the runner has a huge lead. So, if they disengaged on a pick off, they're not a pitcher anymore and they can feint anywhere. I'm looking to see if a case play clearly supports this or if it's interpretation/culture. Searching this web site should reveal a consensus that leaving the plate on a pickoff allows for feinting to first. If a pitcher remains engaged with the plate after a feint to third, that's another story. But I never seen it happen.

What if neither the PU or BU know how to call RLI properly? (just a little RLI joke about NFHS confusion)

I had to umpire a playoff game (as a coach, behind the mound) a few years ago because the umpire called in sick. I am not fond of coaches calling their own games. Each coach called the game when their team was on defense. Second batter for the opposing team shows bunt and goes for a ball high and inside. Ball hits his fingers (and perhaps then the bat) and comes to rest in fair territory. Batter falls to the ground in pain. I knew the pitch hitting the batter was a dead ball so I instinctively put my hands up and called time. Others were screaming for the kid to run/be tagged because it appeared to be a fair bunt. Kid was fine after a minute, and I had to explain to the opposing team that it was simply a strike. I couldn't believe that a play like that happened in the first couple batters and I somehow got it right. But it wasn't strike three. I think opposing coach was cool with the strike call because the alternative was the batter runner being easily tagged or thrown out at first if it was ruled a live ball.

Yes it was just a mistake.

Were you home? Would it have been a balk-off win?

That original balk call was correct.

Yeah we have to balk this. If pitcher ever stepped to second and threw to third it's an easy balk call. The runner needs to be able to discern what the hell the pitcher is actually doing, and the free foot is an indicator.

Wow. I pondered this move and decided I was wasting my time because it would never happen. I'll take a stab that it's a balk because stepped to first base but failed to throw to first base.

Yes RLI is a huge mess right now. There's language/rule/POE confusion and THEN interpretation and adoption issues which means RLI calls are all over the place, even amongst different officials within the same league/locality. Killing it on the throw doesn't increase player safety anyway.

What if the runner was out of the lane on the same side as the throw, but the throw could NOT have gotten there in time? Do you call runner out because of RLI based on principle or do you judge whether the throw had any chance of beating the runner?

Situation: In the diagram below the red line is the runner's path and the green line is the throw. Uncaught third strike, the catcher scrambles and takes some time to get on the ball. Ball is recovered at the backstop on the foul side of the first base line. The runner got to first quickly and easily beat the throw, which was firm and on target to an F3 stretching off the foul side of first base. Initially called safe, which was obvious to everyone. Batter was then runner then called out for RLI (running with the left foot in fair territory) Two questions for the "strict" or "penal" interpretations by officials: Do you still call RLI if the runner is outside the lane on the opposite side that the throw is coming from? Do you call RLI if the throw has no chance of getting the runner out because the batter runner was safe by a mile? (I.E. it took some time for F2 to recover the ball on an uncaught third strike and F2 had no chance to get the batter runner in time.)

And to be clear I meant, as a coach, I tell my pitchers to stay off the dirt/mound during a hidden ball trick. (not as an official). As a coach, I also tell these youth pitchers that if F3 fakes a throw back to the pitcher after a pickoff or a play, casually get off the mound. Just trying to keep us out of gray areas...

Common sense says that the batter cannot disappear immediately after swinging. Did the ball get deflected into the batter or did the batter deflect the ball? If the battery made a mistake/mishandled the ball and they deflected the ball directly into the batter, then we can't punish the batter. I don't think that's the same as 'inadvertently deflected'.

Runner who just scored CANNOT physically assist a live runner. At that point it'd be the same as a coach assisting: Illegal.