Another Interference Situation

[indianaumpire15]

R1, R2, 1 out.  Infield pop up about half way up 1st base line, F3 and R1 get tangled up while F3 is moving to make the catch.  Infield fly if fair is called, and the ball lands in fair territory between F1 and F2 and F2 touches it in fair territory.  The base umpire also points out interference on R1.  What is the ruling in this situation?

I saw an video of very similar play from the MLB and wanted to see what other umpires would rule.

[ALStripes17]

R1, R2, 1 out.  Infield pop up about half way up 1st base line, F3 and R1 get tangled up while F3 is moving to make the catch.  Infield fly if fair is called, and the ball lands in fair territory between F1 and F2 and F2 touches it in fair territory.  The base umpire also points out interference on R1.  What is the ruling in this situation?

I saw an video of very similar play from the MLB and wanted to see what other umpires would rule.

If F3 is the one protected (as opposed to F2), then you have INT on R1 (out) as well as the BR out on IFF. If F2 was the one protected, then the R1 and F3 collision is most likely nothing... The way the play reads, I have a hard time believing F3 wouldn't be protected here.

Also a possibility that the situation wasn't even an IFF. If that was the case, then the INT on R1 is the only out and the BR would be awarded 1B.

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[ElkOil]

Welp, here goes nothing...

IFF only means the batter is out, and has no bearing on the runners. Since the ball was uncaught, the runners can advance at their own peril.  INT should be called on R1, and in that case he's also out and since the ball becomes dead immediately, R2 is ineligible to advance and must return to the base (if less than three out). So I'd have BR out on IFF, R1 out on INT. End of inning.

Now I'll just wait for everyone else to tell me how wrong I am. It's okay, that's how I contribute to the community here. We all play a role.

[noumpere]

34 minutes ago, ALStripes17 said:

 

If F2 was the one protected, then the R1 and F3 collision is most likely nothing...

I would think you would have OBS in this situation. (but I agree that 90% of the time F3 is the one protected)

32 minutes ago, ElkOil said:

Now I'll just wait for everyone else to tell me how wrong I am.

You'll be waiting a long time -- at least in this play.

[Replacematt]

33 minutes ago, ALStripes17 said:

 

If F3 is the one protected (as opposed to F2), then you have INT on R1 (out) as well as the BR out on IFF. If F2 was the one protected, then the R1 and F3 collision is most likely nothing... The way the play reads, I have a hard time believing F3 wouldn't be protected here.

Also a possibility that the situation wasn't even an IFF. If that was the case, then the INT on R1 is the only out and the BR would be awarded 1B.

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If F2 is protected, the collision is probably Type B obstruction.

[ALStripes17]

If F2 is protected, the collision is probably Type B obstruction.

Or just OBS in FED

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[maven]

2 hours ago, indianaumpire15 said:

R1, R2, 1 out.  Infield pop up about half way up 1st base line, F3 and R1 get tangled up while F3 is moving to make the catch.  Infield fly if fair is called, and the ball lands in fair territory between F1 and F2 and F2 touches it in fair territory.  The base umpire also points out interference on R1.  What is the ruling in this situation?

I saw an video of very similar play from the MLB and wanted to see what other umpires would rule.

If it's high enough that F3 initially thinks he has a play, but lands between the mound an 1BL, that's almost certainly an IFF. I don't care if F1 and F2 do a little dance figuring out who should play it. The ball is live, the batter is out, and other runners may advance at their own risk.

One fielder gets protection on the batted ball, and given where it lands, that probably won't be F3. So we have OBS on F3. The award will depend on the code:

1. For OBR, this is Type B, which does not require advancing the runner but merely nullifying the act of OBS. Ordinarily, R1 would have ended up staying put on this play, so we probably return him to 1B. Result: R1, R2, 2 outs.
2. For FED, the minimum award is 1 base. So we advance R1 to 2B, which forces R2 to advance to 3B. Result: R2, R3, 2 outs.

If you're thinking of the Ethier MLB play from a year or two ago, that was a mess, and I still don't know what the ruling on it was. Somebody can probably dig up the video. Like a lot of MLB, it's probably not a good guide to how we should rule in amateur baseball.

[indianaumpire15]

1 minute ago, maven said:

If it's high enough that F3 initially thinks he has a play, but lands between the mound an 1BL, that's almost certainly an IFF. I don't care if F1 and F2 do a little dance figuring out who should play it. The ball is live, the batter is out, and other runners may advance at their own risk.

One fielder gets protection on the batted ball, and given where it lands, that probably won't be F3. So we have OBS on F3. The award will depend on the code:

1. For OBR, this is Type B, which does not require advancing the runner but merely nullifying the act of OBS. Ordinarily, R1 would have ended up staying put on this play, so we probably return him to 1B. Result: R1, R2, 2 outs.
2. For FED, the minimum award is 1 base. So we advance R1 to 2B, which forces R2 to advance to 3B. Result: R2, R3, 2 outs.

If you're thinking of the Ethier MLB play from a year or two ago, that was a mess, and I still don't know what the ruling on it was. Somebody can probably dig up the video. Like a lot of MLB, it's probably not a good guide to how we should rule in amateur baseball.

That's the exact play.  And it was a cluster.  It seems like in that play they ruled a foul ball and Either out on the interference.  It's about the only thing that makes sense.

[maven]

At the risk of hijacking the thread, here's the MLB clip. We've discussed it before.

http://m.mlb.com/video/v24245337

For pro ball, where F1 almost never fields a fly ball and fly balls go a mile high, I guess I can see protecting F3. In games I work, F3 probably couldn't get there, and F1 would have a better play, and therefore deserve protection.

[stkjock]

40 minutes ago, maven said:

At the risk of hijacking the thread, here's the MLB clip. We've discussed it before.

http://m.mlb.com/video/v24245337

For pro ball, where F1 almost never fields a fly ball and fly balls go a mile high, I guess I can see protecting F3. In games I work, F3 probably couldn't get there, and F1 would have a better play, and therefore deserve protection.

Wow that was bizarre.  I know have to find the discussion on it.  

[indianaumpire15]

27 minutes ago, stkjock said:

Wow that was bizarre.  I know have to find the discussion on it.  

If you do post a link.

[stkjock]

Took a few attempts.  

 

 

[Jimurray]

3 hours ago, maven said:

If it's high enough that F3 initially thinks he has a play, but lands between the mound an 1BL, that's almost certainly an IFF. I don't care if F1 and F2 do a little dance figuring out who should play it. The ball is live, the batter is out, and other runners may advance at their own risk.

One fielder gets protection on the batted ball, and given where it lands, that probably won't be F3. So we have OBS on F3. The award will depend on the code:

1. For OBR, this is Type B, which does not require advancing the runner but merely nullifying the act of OBS. Ordinarily, R1 would have ended up staying put on this play, so we probably return him to 1B. Result: R1, R2, 2 outs.
2. For FED, the minimum award is 1 base. So we advance R1 to 2B, which forces R2 to advance to 3B. Result: R2, R3, 2 outs.

If you're thinking of the Ethier MLB play from a year or two ago, that was a mess, and I still don't know what the ruling on it was. Somebody can probably dig up the video. Like a lot of MLB, it's probably not a good guide to how we should rule in amateur baseball.

Why would you not know the ruling. It was referenced in the thread by @bam. And MLB added the ruling to to the infield fly definition in the book the next year: 

"If interference is called during an Infield Fly, the ball remains alive until it is determined whether the ball is fair or foul. If fair, both the runner who interfered with the fielder and the batter are out. If foul, even if caught, the runner is out and the batter returns to bat. "

[jpperez14]

2014 MLB Rule Book > 2.00 Definitions >Infield Fly > Comments > 3rd Paragraph

If interference is called during an IFF, the ball remains alive until it is determined whether the ball is fair or foul. If fair, both the runner who interfered with the fielder and batter is out. If foul, even if caught, the runner is out and the batter returns to bat.