Interference or No Call Situation

[tiger79]

I need a little guidance on this.. I umpire youth level ( Pont and Little League 11-13) and it is common for a pop up or ground ball to be hit along 1B line in fair territory where collisions sometimes happen.  The runner needs to avoid but at all times but sometime the runner cannot see the pop up and does not have time to avoid. Does this factor into the call?

What about in foul territory? In one case, the runner ran into the Pitcher fielding the pop up causing him to drop it. In this case I called interference. Thanks 

[Thunderheads]

fair or foul ....... an opportunity to field a ball that's interfered with.............. is interference.     You were right to call INT on the pitcher fielding a pop-up.

[noumpere]

but sometime the runner cannot see the pop up and does not have time to avoid.

1) Open your eyes.

 

2) Hit it somewhere else.

 

(Not really meaning either -- but it's still INT)

[tiger79]

Thanks the affirmation, teaching this to young players and especially new coaches is a challenge when they do not understand the rules.

[maven]

Thanks the affirmation, teaching this to young players and especially new coaches is a challenge when they do not understand the rules.

 

I think many, if not most of us have had this conversation.

 

 

 

Coach: hey, how can you call INT? My kid's entitled to the baseline!

 

Me: Coach, ordinarily when a fielder doesn't have the ball, you'd be right [i always try to start with a win for coach]. But when he's fielding a batted ball, he gets absolute right of way.

 

Coach: so, what, my kid has to stop and go around him?

 

Me: I'm not telling him where to go, I'm saying the fielder is protected when fielding a batted ball, and the runner must not hinder him.

 

 

 

At that point, either he'll shake his head and return to the dugout, or he'll decide he'd rather watch from his car. Either way, we'll get back to baseball shortly.

 

The phrase "absolute right of way" is not in the book, of course, but it gets the point across pretty well (and it's hard to quibble with: "which part of 'absolute right of way' are you having trouble with, coach?").

[Richvee]

 

Thanks the affirmation, teaching this to young players and especially new coaches is a challenge when they do not understand the rules.

 

I think many, if not most of us have had this conversation.

 

 

 

Coach: hey, how can you call INT? My kid's entitled to the baseline!

 

Me: Coach, ordinarily when a fielder doesn't have the ball, you'd be right [i always try to start with a win for coach]. But when he's fielding a batted ball, he gets absolute right of way.

 

Coach: so, what, my kid has to stop and go around him?

 

Me: I'm not telling him where to go, I'm saying the fielder is protected when fielding a batted ball, and the runner must not hinder him.

 

 

 

At that point, either he'll shake his head and return to the dugout, or he'll decide he'd rather watch from his car. Either way, we'll get back to baseball shortly.

 

The phrase "absolute right of way" is not in the book, of course, but it gets the point across pretty well (and it's hard to quibble with: "which part of 'absolute right of way' are you having trouble with, coach?").

 

Usually I find, they walk away shaking their head and say something like 'I've been around baseball my whole life and I've never heard that before"