Interference By 3B Coach

[Mudder]

OBR Game, I'm PU, R2, ground ball to F5, his throw to 1B is wild and goes pretty far up the fence in foul territory, R2 is rounding 3B heading home on the wild throw to 1B.  Just after he rounds 3B he trips over 3B coach's feet and falls down.  R2 did not bump into the 3B coach, he simply tripped over the coach's feet as the coach was attempting to back up out of the way.  I believe the runner would have scored easily if he didn't fall.  R2 gets up, right beside the 3rd base coach, their bodies are basically touching, R2 then goes back to 3B.  The 3B coach's hand touched R2's back as he was getting up, but he didn't really offer him assistance or pushed him back to the base.  Long story short, I did not call IF on the coach, but warned the coach not to touch the runner or the runner will be called out.

I have 2 questions:

1. Should Int be called as soon as R2 trips over the coaches's feet, or is that a play on?  In other words if R2 had tripped over the coach's feet, fell and continued home or went back to 3B with no other contact whatsoever from the coach, is this nothing?

2. If tripping over the coach's feet is not Int, would any contact of the runner by the coach be Int, no matter how minor it is, or is it a judgement call if the coach's touch actually helped the runner in some way?

 

I know the high five hand tap or pat on the rear is allowed on home runs only, but is any other contact by a base coach always automatic Int, or is it a judgement call if you believe the touch actually helped the runner?

[renegadewolf]

I think the rule you are looking for is

(2014 and previous) 7.09(h) (2015 edition) 6.01 (8)  In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.

Nothing to see here.  Had coach tried to help the player get up, now you have a case

 

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Edited August 23, 2015 by renegadewolf

[maven]

The 3B coach's hand touched R2's back as he was getting up, but he didn't really offer him assistance or pushed him back to the base. 

Here's your judgment: if coach did not physically assist the runner, then it's not coach INT.

Contact is not prohibited.

[noumpere]

Somewhere there's an interp that if the runner runs into the coach, that's nothing, but if the coach gets in the way, it's int.

 

In you play, since the runner was trying for home, the coach wouldn't get in the way -- so you have nothing.  IF the coach was trying to stop the runner, and the runner was running through the stop sign, and *especially* if the coach moved, then you'd be more likely to have INT.

[UMP45]

How can it be interference? It's his on player! As long as he doesn't physically help him I have nothing. The coach can touch him all day long. He can't physically ASSIST him.

[pnewton]

#1: No call. Contact isn't interference, helping the runner is. Tripping him while backing away as described is not helping.

#2: Already answered, the contact must assist the runner to be interference.