Two baserunning questions

[Guest T]

Two interesting baseball events here, I'm curious what's correct.

 

1) Batter hits a missile line drive past the pitcher that short-hops the runner leading off second. There was no chance of the SS or 2B fielding it. What is:
a) The status of the runner
b) The status of the batter
c) The statistic for the batter
d) The official ruling of the play

2) Right-handed batter takes a pitch high and inside and dodges the pitch. The runner on second is stealing third. Because the batter dodged the pitch, he's leaning backwards; the catcher throws the ball toward third but it hits the batter's helmet. What is:
a) The status of the batter
b) The status of the runner

c) The ruling of the play (if any)

[VAUmp]

#1

 

a) Out for Interference

b) Batter gets first

c) single

d) runner interference/single

 

#2 This is a HTBT situation

 

a) I've got nothing, batter has the right not to get hit by pitch

b) safe at third

c) ball on the pitch, stolen base

[grayhawk]

#1

 

a) Out for Interference

b) Batter gets first

c) single

d) runner interference/single

 

#2 This is a HTBT situation

 

a) I've got nothing, batter has the right not to get hit by pitch

b) safe at third

c) ball on the pitch, stolen base

 

Agreed.

[Guest T]

Right. This is what I thought. So in the real world when these situations happened:

 

1) The umpire and statistician got it right

2) The umpire called BOTH the batter and runner out. It was bogus.

[Kevin Finnerty]

That's why the umpire should always consult the scorekeeper before making a ruling on a rule that baffles him. 

[afaber12]

In #2, as long as the batter doesn't do anything other than duck/back away from the pitch, it'd be pretty tough to call an out. Even then, in my mind it'd have to be a pretty obvious intentional attempt to interfere with the throw to call the interference.

 

And unless I'm completely off at the moment even if you did call interference, wouldn't the batter be out and the runner sent back to second? You'd only get the two outs if the pitch was strike three (batter's out) and then the batter interferes (runner's out). If the batter's trying to avoid getting hit, it'd have to be some sort of wicked nasty breaking ball (or I suppose a really inexperienced batter who bails out of anything close to being inside) to be a called strike, and I doubt to many umpires would call a swinging strike on a batter when the pitch is somewhere near his head.

[BT_Blue]

#1

 

a) Out for Interference

b) Batter gets first

c) single

d) runner interference/single

 

#2 This is a HTBT situation

 

a) I've got nothing, batter has the right not to get hit by pitch

b) safe at third

c) ball on the pitch, stolen base

^^^this^^^

[conbo61]

#1

 

a) Out for Interference

b) Batter gets first

c) single

d) runner interference/single

 

#2 This is a HTBT situation

 

a) I've got nothing, batter has the right not to get hit by pitch

b) safe at third

c) ball on the pitch, stolen base

 

What he said.

[maven]

When the coach complains about SIT 2 that it was BI, tell him he might get that call next time if the pitcher doesn't throw into the batter's box.

[grayhawk]

2) Right-handed batter takes a pitch high and inside and dodges the pitch. The runner on second is stealing third. Because the batter dodged the pitch, he's leaning backwards; the catcher throws the ball toward third but it hits the batter's helmet. What is:

 

 

What this tells me is that he is already leaning back before F2 even throws the ball.  It also sounds like he's still in the box.  For me, the batter would have to make a movement as F2 is throwing the ball to even consider interference here.  As described, F2 screwed up by not throwing around the batter who was, at the time of the throw, stationary in the box.