What's the Call?

[yawetag]

I'll give the situation and see what other fellow umpires would have called:

R3, 1 out. 1-0 count on the batter. Pitcher throws well outside, getting past the catcher. R3 attempts to score. I clear toward 1BLX and check the catcher. As he picks up the ball, I turn my head to the plate. I see the batter standing between the plate and the mound, about 5 feet in front of the plate. The pitcher has to run around him to reach the plate, where he catches the throw by the catcher and applies the tag late.

What's the call?

[kcfan102]

I'm ejecting the batter and giving the defensive team 5 runs....

Probably a HTBT situation. If the throw was late than I got nothin. Yes, the batter impeded the the pitcher getting into position, but from the sound of things, the pitcher was not making a play on the ball nor did he have the ball when the interference happened so he really didn't interfere with anything....

unless the catcher was waiting for the pitcher to get to the plate before he threw it. I suppose I can see just cause for batter's interference there. But from the way it sounds I got nothin, get the ball over the plate kid.

[Umpire in Chief]

Interesting, but 've probably got nothing.

[BrianC14]

I've got an out.

[PeteBooth]

I'll give the situation and see what other fellow umpires would have called:

R3, 1 out. 1-0 count on the batter. Pitcher throws well outside, getting past the catcher. R3 attempts to score. I clear toward 1BLX and check the catcher. As he picks up the ball, I turn my head to the plate. I see the batter standing between the plate and the mound, about 5 feet in front of the plate. The pitcher has to run around him to reach the plate, where he catches the throw by the catcher and applies the tag late.

What's the call?

Generally speaking when each party is doing what they are supposed to it's nothing, however, in your OP that's not the case.

I see the batter standing between the plate and the mound

That's NOT where the batter is supposed to be.

OBR rule 7.11 says that the offense must vacat ANY SPACE needed in order to make a play. F1 had to go around B1 in order to make a play.

I am with Brian - I have an out

Pete Booth

[Mr Umpire]

An out here too by rule 7.11 as well. R3 is out.

[Dragon29]

Out.

The only way I can see not calling BI is if F2 hasn't got hold of the ball at all yet. From the OP, it sounds like he had it.

[boyinr]

I also get an out in this situation. The batter had no business being where he was except to interfere.

[BrianC14]

I also get an out in this situation. The batter had no business being where he was except to interfere.

Well you're only saying that because you're a Maine-iac.

And before you ask, "Ayuh, I'm native." :WTF

[yawetag]

I like the answers.

I called the runner out on Interference by the batter. My reasoning is that F1 was impeded from getting to the plate for the play.

After a short discussion with the OC, we continued play without incident.

[Big Red]

Well you're only saying that because you're a Maine-iac.

And before you ask, "Ayuh, I'm native."

Sorry to get off-topic, but that reminded me of the times I've worked w/ the 101st Air Refueling Wing at Bangor, whose official nickname is "MAINEiacs" especially after my last assignment in the tanker world...NKAWTG!

Met them first time when I flew into Bangor on a C-5 coming back from Germany in '98 (in the fall...beautiful scenery w/ all the leaves turning) and have worked w/ them several times since. Great unit and great people...not a typical Air Guard unit (no offense meant to Guard folks, but you know what I'm talking about). They'd bust my chops about my Texas accent and I'd do the same to them as I wasn't sure if "cawnuh" meant corner or coroner!

I'm reminded of them every time I hear that line outta "Roll On" by Joe Stampley... "On through the snow and the drivin' rain. To the forty below in Bangor Maine. To the hundred and ten in the Texas sun..."

My buddies might string me from the nearest oak tree if they knew I was saying something nice about "Nothunahs" but they deserve it and I hope to get back up that way to visit sometime soon.

[calablue]

I like the answers.

I called the runner out on Interference by the batter. My reasoning is that F1 was impeded from getting to the plate for the play.

After a short discussion with the OC, we continued play without incident.

I agree with you here . I've got R3 out regardless of whether F1 has the ball already or not. Batter had no business being where he was and impeded F1 s progress to the plate while attempting to make a play. 7.11 and/or 7.09c should apply here.

Edited April 25, 2010 by calablue

[BrianC14]

Sorry to get off-topic, but that reminded me of the times I've worked w/ the 101st Air Refueling Wing at Bangor, whose official nickname is "MAINEiacs" especially after my last assignment in the tanker world...NKAWTG!

Met them first time when I flew into Bangor on a C-5 coming back from Germany in '98 (in the fall...beautiful scenery w/ all the leaves turning) and have worked w/ them several times since. Great unit and great people...not a typical Air Guard unit (no offense meant to Guard folks, but you know what I'm talking about). They'd bust my chops about my Texas accent and I'd do the same to them as I wasn't sure if "cawnuh" meant corner or coroner!

I'm reminded of them every time I hear that line outta "Roll On" by Joe Stampley... "On through the snow and the drivin' rain. To the forty below in Bangor Maine. To the hundred and ten in the Texas sun..."

My buddies might string me from the nearest oak tree if they knew I was saying something nice about "Nothunahs" but they deserve it and I hope to get back up that way to visit sometime soon.

Great story, and thanks for your service to our great country.

Next time (?) you seem them, you can check their Maine credentials with two easy questions:

Ask: What's the capitol of Maine?

Answer: "Auguster" (Translated: Augusta)

Then ask: What's the name of the town located across the Kennebec from Augusta?

Answer: "Ga-a-hdnah" (Translated: Gardiner) :(

[mazzamouth]

I agree with you here . I've got R3 out regardless of whether F1 has the ball already or not. Batter had no business being where he was and impeded F1 s progress to the plate while attempting to make a play. 7.11 and/or 7.09c should apply here.

dude you can't call a out just cause he was " not in the box" If he made an attempt to move out of the way ( and not in the way of some one else) I have nothing, the batter can not just "disappear"..he has to go some where right?...we can sit here and talk about this, but this is really a HTBT type of play, cause I will see it one way and BrianC14 will see it another.. get my point...LOL

[mstaylor]

The elements are in place for interference but there still has to be some type of play. Just being in the pitcher's line isn't an auto call, the catcher still has to get the ball and try to throw it.

It's like obstruction, there are things that can make a fielder suseptable to a call but there has to ba an actual obstruction. Interference requires there be a play.

[calablue]

mazzamouth......I was assuming that there was a play being made. I didn't mean he(the runner) should be out just for the batter being there. I agree it probably was a HTBT situation.

Edited April 28, 2010 by calablue

[Big Red]

Great story, and thanks for your service to our great country.

Next time (?) you seem them, you can check their Maine credentials with two easy questions:

Ask: What's the capitol of Maine?

Answer: "Auguster" (Translated: Augusta)

Then ask: What's the name of the town located across the Kennebec from Augusta?

Answer: "Ga-a-hdnah" (Translated: Gardiner)

Brian,

Sorry for the late response, but many thanks.

I laughed pretty good when I saw your response because the last time I saw those guys, they were bustin' the chops of a new guy who was a recent transplant from somewhere else up in the NE, New York I believe. He would pronounce Bangor literally, "Bang-or." They were giving him grief and that it should be pronounced "Bang-her" and I'll leave the rest of it at that!

He came back w/ one of the funniest jokes I've heard. Hope I can remember it right...

A tourist from New York stops in at a small local diner in Maine for breakfast. He goes in and orders 3 scrambled eggs.

Everybody immediately knows he's not from around there because nobody eats scrambled eggs there. <apparently, this is true!>

Waitress takes a peek at his car and sees the NY plates.

She goes in the back and tells the chef, who gets 3 of the most rotten eggs and cooks 'em up.

As the waitress delivers the eggs, everybody in the diner knows the gig and are closely watching the guy. He notices but is unsure of what's going on.

He takes a bite and almost barfs right away! As people snicker, he knows the gig, but given his NY pride he is determined not to give them the pleasure. So...

He finally finishes the eggs, w/ copiuos amounts of S&P, gets up, pays his bill and as he goes to the door, he notices the chef.

Just before he leaves, he turns and yells back to the chef, "Where do you get your eggs?"

Chef says, "From our own chicken farm."

Diner, "Do you have a rooster?"

Chef, "No, why?"

Diner, "Well, you better get one, because some skunk is screwing your chickens!"

Ba-da-bing. Later found out there are several variations to this joke, but that was the first I heard of it.

Anyway...laughed my ass off it was so funny! Of course, then they start in on me! :HS