Batter Interference With Throw from Catcher

[Guest B'sDad]

Runner on 2nd attempting to steal 3rd. Catcher attempts a throw to 3rd, but ball strikes batter, who is out of the batters box. What is the call and the remedy? 

[maven]

By leaving the batter's box (or making "any other movement" than swinging at the pitch), the batter makes himself liable to batter INT. Had he been legally in the box and been hit by that throw, it would be nothing.

In this case, by hindering the play on R2 while out of the box, the batter is guilty of batter INT. The batter is out, and (if less than 2 outs) R2 returns to 2B.

Same ruling all codes.

[ArchAngel72]

On 9/22/2020 at 7:45 AM, maven said:

By leaving the batter's box (or making "any other movement" than swinging at the pitch), the batter makes himself liable to batter INT. Had he been legally in the box and been hit by that throw, it would be nothing.

In this case, by hindering the play on R2 while out of the box, the batter is guilty of batter INT. The batter is out, and (if less than 2 outs) R2 returns to 2B.

Same ruling all codes.

What if he left the box avoiding a wild pitch?

 

[kylehutson]

19 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

What if he left the box avoiding a wild pitch?

Then it sucks to be him? He still has to avoid interfering with the throw.

[ArchAngel72]

1 hour ago, kylehutson said:

Then it sucks to be him? He still has to avoid interfering with the throw.

hrmm thats unfair to the batter is it not?

[wolfe_man]

8 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

hrmm thats unfair to the batter is it not?

Refer back to @maven's comments for this part.  The batter is responsible to avoid the throw regardless.  If a WP comes inside, then he'd better lay flat on the ground trying to get out of the way of the catcher's throw or he may be liable for INT.  For the batter, the only safe place is where he is supposed to be - in the batter's box.

 

Posted yesterday at 07:45 AM

"By leaving the batter's box (or making "any other movement" than swinging at the pitch), the batter makes himself liable to batter INT. Had he been legally in the box and been hit by that throw, it would be nothing."

[ArchAngel72]

21 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

Refer back to @maven's comments for this part.  The batter is responsible to avoid the throw regardless.  If a WP comes inside, then he'd better lay flat on the ground trying to get out of the way of the catcher's throw or he may be liable for INT.  For the batter, the only safe place is where he is supposed to be - in the batter's box.

 

Posted yesterday at 07:45 AM

"By leaving the batter's box (or making "any other movement" than swinging at the pitch), the batter makes himself liable to batter INT. Had he been legally in the box and been hit by that throw, it would be nothing."

 

Oh I get that, But Im saying at my age group that I deal with a wild pitcher knocks a kid back a few steps to avoid the wild pitch by an 8yr old. And the catcher gets a lucky hop and plunks the kid standing just outside the box.. To me "that's nothing"  the pitcher forced him out of the box avoiding a pitch its not his fault then he is out there.  But then again Im talking LL minors. 

[maven]

The tight restriction on the batter ends when F2 fails to secure the pitch from his position (WP, passed ball). At that point, the batter must attempt to avoid hindering play given time and opportunity. This may require him to move away from the plate area and the likely direction of the throw.

In FED, this looser restriction appears in 7-3-5d, where the batter may be guilty of batter INT for "failing to make a reasonable effort to vacate a congested area when there is a throw to home plate and there is time for the batter to move away."

[Replacematt]

3 hours ago, ArchAngel72 said:

 

Oh I get that, But Im saying at my age group that I deal with a wild pitcher knocks a kid back a few steps to avoid the wild pitch by an 8yr old. And the catcher gets a lucky hop and plunks the kid standing just outside the box.. To me "that's nothing"  the pitcher forced him out of the box avoiding a pitch its not his fault then he is out there.  But then again Im talking LL minors. 

Doesn't matter. It's interference. You may think it's unfair, but it's even more unfair to teach them something that isn't the rule.