BaseMop

Not high IQ! Just young kids making poor decisions everywhere. Combinations of poor defensive awareness and poor base running leading to a situation I hadn’t seen. Not really a game changing call or an important game, but only a play that wasn’t straightforward and got me thinking. I’m fine with the interference call, but in a big game at a higher level I might be asking the umpire some questions.

This was definitely not an immediate throw after fielding the ball. F5 fielded it and then did a few shuffles/pumps of his arm, which brought him from behind the base path, moving toward home. After pumping his arm twice he still didn’t release the ball. I assume the runner was expecting him to actually throw it before passing in front of him, but F5 didn’t release the ball and also continued moving further forward, cutting off the runner’s path to the base. The runner then collided with him. It was just a bizarre play where it no longer seemed like an act of fielding that was interfered with, and it was an unpredictable motion by the third baseman that cut off the runner’s path.

Thanks, grayhawk. This was a Pony game, with rules leaning toward MLB as much as possible. It was just a very odd play, with the double pump and shuffle unintentionally bringing the fielder into the path of the runner advancing from second. No awareness on the part of the fielder, and no intent to collide on the part of the runner. It was very much the third baseman moving into the path of the runner. Odd stuff and frankly, bad base running. Not likely to see a play like that again…

Weird game ending play tonight… Runners on second and third, 2 outs in the bottom of the last inning. Ground ball to third baseman, fielded cleanly behind the base path. Both base runners are attempting to advance. The third baseman looks to throw to home, double pumps bringing him into the base path, where the runner from second collides with him. The umpire calls interference on the runner and the game is over. This was not a collision with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball. The ball had already been fielded, and possession was established. The fielder then moved into the base path, not aware of the runner advancing from second. I think there’s an argument for obstruction here. Thoughts?