Infield Fly, Ball to DBT

[FleasOf1000Camels]

I'm on the bases, partner is good, but newer umpire.  Bases loaded, 1 out. Early evening with sun low in the sky directly behind plate. 

Batter hits high pop fly between plate and mound.  F1 calls for ball. We both point and shout "infield fly IF FAIR"

Spin and wind are causing ball to drift back toward home plate as it comes down.  F1, who was camped under it, loses it in the sun and it lands untouched right on the seam between the infield grass the circle around home plate.  Ball spins/bounces straight back and hits F2 (who was standing in front of plate, both feet on fair ground) ball clips his left shin guard (plate umpire points FAIR) and as ball bounces/rolls in to 3rd base dugout, he is signaling and calling BATTER OUT.

We both looked at each other for moment, then I yelled TIME and trotted in to talk with partner.  His eyes were glazed over, like a deer in the headlights.  He said "what the hell just happened?"  I told him everything was cool, he had done everything "just fine".  He said "well, what do we do now?"  I said "just think it thru logically, the ball is fair, so the batter's out, now all that's left is a fair batted ball that went in to DBT."  The light went on "two bases for all runners?" he said timidly. 

It took a couple of minutes to sort out the runners...BR was standing on 2nd, R1 and R2 were both on or near 3rd, and R3 had crossed plate and was near his dugout.

I point to R3, said "you were on 3rd?"  (yes) "fine, you score" (he stepped back to plate and touched again)

I point to R2 and said "you were on 2nd?"  (yes) "ok, you score" (he trots home)

I point to R1 and said "you were on 1st?" (yes) "you get 3rd."

I point to BR and said "you were the batter?" (yes) "you're OUT."

DC is not pleased "how can you award 2 bases on a ball that never left the infield?"  (Fair batted ball to DBT, no other remedy available)

OC is not satisfied "between the wind, the sun and the spin do you really think that ball was playable with routine effort?" (Yes)

DC wants to file protest.  I ask him "On what grounds?"  He says "I don't know, but it feels like we just got screwed over....oh crap, never mind"  He had a big lead, and without those 2 runs the game would have ended by mercy rule after that inning.  I wish the game HAD ended there, as his team batted around nearly twice in the top of the next inning while scoring 14 ugly runs off three exhausted "so-called" pitchers.

 

[stkjock]

1 hour ago, FleasOf1000Camels said:

DC wants to file protest.  I ask him "On what grounds?"  He says "I don't know, but it feels like we just got screwed over....oh crap, never mind"  He had a big lead, and without those 2 runs the game would have ended by mercy rule after that inning.  I wish the game HAD ended there, as his team batted around nearly twice in the top of the next inning while scoring 14 ugly runs off three exhausted "so-called" pitchers.

equal at bat mercy rule I take it?

 

 

that's a heck of a happenstance with all those moving parts.  

 

just curious, R3/R2/R1 - did they start running after the ball hit the ground? 

[FleasOf1000Camels]

8 minutes ago, stkjock said:

equal at bat mercy rule I take it?

Yes, the team that was on defense during the clusterbomb was the visiting team. They led 12-3 (mercy was 8 after 5), this was the bottom of 5.  Since those 2 runs cut the lead to 7, we had to go on to the 6th.  Home team was dejected, out of pitchers and just didn't want to be there anymore.

 

 

that's a heck of a happenstance with all those moving parts.

Yup, it was weird as hell. 

 

just curious, R3/R2/R1 - did they start running after the ball hit the ground? 

The kid on 3rd broke immediately.  The guy on 1st started, stopped, started again.  The guy on 2nd just stood there until he nearly got passed buy the guy behind him...they both stopped at 3rd while the batter/runner cruised on to 2nd.  I'm just glad nobody raised the point of R1 possibly passing R2...who knows, it MAY have happened at some point.

 

[stkjock]

gotcha, it sounds like a good thing for the runners that the ball dropped, otherwise there could have been a two appeal outs, 3rd and 1st I'm thinking. 

[FleasOf1000Camels]

37 minutes ago, stkjock said:

gotcha, it sounds like a good thing for the runners that the ball dropped, otherwise there could have been a two appeal outs, 3rd and 1st I'm thinking. 

Not so much.  Nobody really took off till the ball landed.

[stkjock]

yea, I misunderstood, I asked the question differently than I thought I had.

 

thanks for the details.