Backswing Interference

[maven]

​Maven, I don't think it would hinder anything but could it be a safety issue like throwing the bat is where my brain was headed?    I wish I was near a real computer and not on my phone, I would look it up.  Thank you for any info/help.

​There is a rule for that, but it has nothing to do with batter INT. Interference ALWAYS involves hindrance. No hindrance = no INT.

If intentional, hitting someone with a bat would be MC. If unintentional, you could consider 3-3-1c: team warning, then eject subsequent offenders.

[noumpere]

Gotcha. I understand now. Even then, I wouldn't rule backswing interference, I'd just call time and kill it.

​And in FED, that *is* ruling "backswing interference."

[jpperez14]

​And in FED, that *is* ruling "backswing interference."

​yeah... but that isn't my definition of backswing interference.

[maven]

​yeah... but that isn't my definition of backswing interference.

​It is when you're working a FED game.

[grayhawk]

Where follow through interference can get dicey in Fed is when a runner is NOT moving, and the batter's follow through either knocks the ball from the catcher, or hits the ball away after the catcher has blocked it.  This is a situation where making a call "fast" actually helps because if we just kill the play when this contact occurs, we can prevent a runner from thinking he can now advance which puts us in a position of having to enforce BI.

[Keerock]

So what if the pitch is hit and there is follow-through interference (FED)?  Catcher is not interfered with as he is not making a play anywhere...

[noumpere]

So what if the pitch is hit and there is follow-through interference (FED)?  Catcher is not interfered with as he is not making a play anywhere...

​"That's nothing"

[maven]

No hindrance = no INT.

Whether the batter hits the ball is, of course, not mentioned in the definition of this kind of batter INT (2-21-4) because it is not relevant to the call. Only whether he has swung at the pitch is relevant: "Follow-through interference is when [sic] the bat hits the catcher after the batter has swung at a pitch and hinders action at home plate or the catcher’s attempt to play on a runner."

Go ahead, ask me why [sic]...

[MObetterBlue]

The conversation seems to be relating to a throw to 2B as R1 is stealing.  What if it is a throw to 3B as R2 is stealing?  I had that situation last weekend as the B1 had a long, slow, protracted follow through on his swing.  He made contact with F2 as he was standing and throwing.  The throw got to 3B but the runner was safe and I had the him go back.  I'm still learning and I indicated Batter Interference so I'm very happy to be picking up some more valuable info and the correct call for the situation.

The coach was pretty incredulous on the call with the same "he's in the box" blather.  Blah, blah, blah...

[grayhawk]

The conversation seems to be relating to a throw to 2B as R1 is stealing.  What if it is a throw to 3B as R2 is stealing?  I had that situation last weekend as the B1 had a long, slow, protracted follow through on his swing.  He made contact with F2 as he was standing and throwing.  The throw got to 3B but the runner was safe and I had the him go back.  I'm still learning and I indicated Batter Interference so I'm very happy to be picking up some more valuable info and the correct call for the situation.

The coach was pretty incredulous on the call with the same "he's in the box" blather.  Blah, blah, blah...

If R2 is stealing and the attempt to throw is to third base, then what you are typically looking for is:

1. Was the batter in the box?   2.  Did he make "any other movement" that hinders the catcher's attempt to throw?  3. Did his backswing contact the catcher or the ball?  If he's out of the box and hinders the throw, then we have interference (see OBR and Fed differences below).  If he's in the box, he can still hinder the catcher if he makes a movement that hinders such as backing up or moving forward into the catcher's throwing lane, or if he moves his bat in such a way to hinder.

​On your play, there's a big difference between OBR and Fed:

In Fed, this is "follow through" interference, which is considered to be a form of batter's interference.  If the runner is not retired on the initial throw by the catcher, this results in the batter being called out and the runner returning to second.  However, if the swing resulted in strike 3, then the batter is out on strikes, and the runner is out for the interference by his teammate.

In OBR, this is considered to be "weak interference" which means that if R2 was not retired on the initial throw, then kill the play and return R2 to second base.  It's a strike on the batter (for swinging and missing) but no other penalty is applied.

Edited July 1, 2015 by grayhawk

[maven]

What if it is a throw to 3B as R2 is stealing?  I had that situation last weekend as the B1 had a long, slow, protracted follow through on his swing.  He made contact with F2 as he was standing and throwing. 

​If you judge that this "swing" was not a genuine attempt to offer at the pitch, and if you judge that it hinders F2's play on R2, then you should rule batter INT (not either FED "follow-through INT" nor OBR's "weak INT," both of which presuppose a genuine offer at the pitch).

Just an additional option for you on an already complex call.

[MObetterBlue]

If R2 is stealing and the attempt to throw is to third base, then what you are typically looking for is:

1. Was the batter in the box?   2.  Did he make "any other movement" that hinders the catcher's attempt to throw?  3. Did his backswing contact the catcher or the ball?  If he's out of the box and hinders the throw, then we have interference (see OBR and Fed differences below).  If he's in the box, he can still hinder the catcher if he makes a movement that hinders such as backing up or moving forward into the catcher's throwing lane, or if he moves his bat in such a way to hinder.

​On your play, there's a big difference between OBR and Fed:

In Fed, this is "follow through" interference, which is considered to be a form of batter's interference.  If the runner is not retired on the initial throw by the catcher, this results in the batter being called out and the runner returning to second.  However, if the swing resulted in strike 3, then the batter is out on strikes, and the runner is out for the interference by his teammate.

In OBR, this is considered to be "weak interference" which means that if R2 was not retired on the initial throw, then kill the play and return R2 to second base.  It's a strike on the batter (for swinging and missing) but no other penalty is applied.

​Batter was in the box and this was on the follow through of the swing only.  He did not fall forward or backward.  The bat and the batters arm contacted the catcher on his stomach.  Not hard but enough to hinder the throw.  This was OBR (U-trip) so I think I placed the runner correctly but what I called (batters interference) was incorrect.

Thanks for the clarifications on this Grayhawk and Maven.  It truly is a very complex call.  At least I've only seen it once in over 300 games the past few years. 

[noumpere]

​Batter was in the box and this was on the follow through of the swing only.  He did not fall forward or backward.  The bat and the batters arm contacted the catcher on his stomach.  Not hard but enough to hinder the throw.  This was OBR (U-trip) so I think I placed the runner correctly but what I called (batters interference) was incorrect.

Thanks for the clarifications on this Grayhawk and Maven.  It truly is a very complex call.  At least I've only seen it once in over 300 games the past few years. 

​You need to decide whether the batter hit the catcher (OBR "weak interference") or the catcher ran into the batter ("that's nothing.")

 

It's plays like this where we earn our check.

[kylehutson]

​On your play, there's a big difference between OBR and Fed:

In Fed, this is "follow through" interference, which is considered to be a form of batter's interference.  If the runner is not retired on the initial throw by the catcher, this results in the batter being called out and the runner returning to second.  However, if the swing resulted in strike 3, then the batter is out on strikes, and the runner is out for the interference by his teammate.

In OBR, this is considered to be "weak interference" which means that if R2 was not retired on the initial throw, then kill the play and return R2 to second base.  It's a strike on the batter (for swinging and missing) but no other penalty is applied.

​Thank you for this succinct summary. I've wrestled trying to figure out what rules go with which leagues I officiate, and I think this one is easy enough for me to remember.

It's plays like this where we earn our check.

​Because no matter what we rule, we have half the crowd wanting our head on a pike?