Batter Interference

[JMGotts]

Batter walks, in process throws bat to his sideline and it comes in contact with the catchers thrown ball to third on a steal attempt.

What’s the call?

[Senor Azul]

Under high school rules (no rule set was specified), there is a case play with this exact scenario. It's 2023 NFHS case book play 7.3.5 Situation I. Here's the ruling on the play:

The ball is dead. Interference is declared on the batter. If R3 had been attempting to steal home, R3 would be declared out and B3 awarded first base on the base on balls. If R3 was attempting to return to third base on the play, B3 is declared out for the interference. (7-3-5)

[beerguy55]

Once he gets ball four he's no longer a batter, he's a runner.

I suspect in OBR this would be nothing?  OBR requires interference with a thrown ball, by a runner, to be intentional to declare the runner out.  5.09(b)(3)

If he threw his bat on ball three (thinking it's ball four) and interfered with the throw he would still be a batter, and be out under 6.03(a)(3)...I think.

Having said that, the case play in FED above seems to consider the player still a "batter" for the purposes of that ruling (which is why it's under 7.3.5, and not 8.4.1)...so perhaps OBR has taken the same interpretation.  Nothing under 8.4.1 (a batter-runner is out when) supports this, so I can only conclude FED considers him still a batter, in spite of 8.1.1(3)

[JMGotts]

In this case, R2 was attempting a steal to B3 on the walk. BR1 should be called out on interference and R2 returned to 2nd.

[Senor Azul]

OBR rule 5.09(a)(8) Comment 

...If a whole bat is thrown into fair or foul territory and interferes with a defensive player attempting to make a play, interference shall be called, whether intentional or not...

 

And high school rules have the same rule. It's 7-3-6.

[beerguy55]

15 hours ago, Senor Azul said:

OBR rule 5.09(a)(8) Comment 

...If a whole bat is thrown into fair or foul territory and interferes with a defensive player attempting to make a play, interference shall be called, whether intentional or not...

 

And high school rules have the same rule. It's 7-3-6.

5.09(a)(8) speaks of the actions of a batter after a ball has been hit or bunted.

Regardless, there does seem to be a shift in the standard of when a batter becomes a runner, or even batter-runner, and that 'batter" infractions (like 7.3.x) seem to apply even though they are no longer a batter - it would appear that for the purposes of these rulings the batter is still a "batter" until shortly after he gets rid of his bat.  More specifically, the obligations of a batter extend to the first few seconds after he becomes a runner, where he is apparently in limbo.

I have no problem with the principle/spirit of the ruling...the letter of it is problematic (what else is new).

[Aging_Arbiter]

On 1/9/2024 at 5:37 PM, JMGotts said:

Batter walks, in process throws bat to his sideline and it comes in contact with the catchers thrown ball to third on a steal attempt.

What’s the call?

I saw the same video on Facebook

[Velho]

FWIW - LL explicitly covers this same as OBR

[Senor Azul]

The general principle is that the batter is responsible for his bat through the swing and thereafter, which includes insuring that the bat does not interfere with the fielders as the batter disposes of it. As further proof of this, here's the current NCAA rule 7-11n and a following note:

A batter is out when:

A whole bat is thrown into fair or foul territory, whether intentionally or not, and it interferes with a defensive player attempting to make a play immediately after the batter becomes a batter-runner. Interference shall be called.

Note 1:  The batter, after hitting a ball or becoming a batter-runner, has some responsibility about where they throw their bat so that it does not interfere with a defensive player making a play on the ball...