Stealing Home - Interference?

[stl_ump]

I saw this MLB clip and R3 steals home.  He got such a good jump on the left handed pitcher that he arrived at home at the same time as the ball did and it ended up hitting him.

Is this nothing?  Same as if a runner was hit by a thrown ball running to a base?

The plate ump still has to determine if it's a ball or strike?

Thanks

BTW... the catcher stayed in his normal position and the batter backed out of the box.

[jimurrayalterego]

19 minutes ago, stl_ump said:

I saw this MLB clip and R3 steals home.  He got such a good jump on the left handed pitcher that he arrived at home at the same time as the ball did and it ended up hitting him.

Is this nothing?  Same as if a runner was hit by a thrown ball running to a base?

The plate ump still has to determine if it's a ball or strike?

Thanks

BTW... the catcher stayed in his normal position and the batter backed out of the box.

No it's not nothing.

The ball becomes dead and runners advance 1 base

"5.06(c)(8) Any legal pitch touches a runner trying to score; runners advance."

The PU calls the pitch and if it was a strike 3 we use:

"5.09(c)(14) With two out, a runner on third base, and two strikes on the batter, the runner attempts to steal home base on a legal pitch and the ball touches the runner in the batter’s strike zone. The umpire shall call “Strike Three,” the batter is out and the run shall not count; before two are out, the umpire shall call “Strike Three,” the ball is dead, and the run counts."

 

[stl_ump]

Nice!

Very good summary.

Thanks!

 

[jimurrayalterego]

3 hours ago, stl_ump said:

Nice!

Very good summary.

Thanks!

 

And all three codes now call it the same. NCAA matched OBR a few years ago

[stl_ump]

2 hours ago, jimurrayalterego said:

And all three codes now call it the same. NCAA matched OBR a few years ago

Thanks!

OBR here for what it's worth.

[Jimurray]

1 hour ago, stl_ump said:

Thanks!

OBR here for what it's worth.

OBR which you haven’t completely finished reading yet. 😀

[beerguy55]

On 9/2/2025 at 3:14 PM, stl_ump said:

Is this nothing?  Same as if a runner was hit by a thrown ball running to a base?

The answer above presumes it was a pitch.

If the pitcher stepped off and threw it home, then it is nothing.  Your OP isn't clear, and both scenarios can and do happen...I'd even guess you see a step off more often than a pitch at the MLB level.

[jimurrayalterego]

2 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

The answer above presumes it was a pitch.

If the pitcher stepped off and threw it home, then it is nothing.  Your OP isn't clear, and both scenarios can and do happen...I'd even guess you see a step off more often than a pitch at the MLB level.

I inferred from the OP asking about ball or strike and mentioning a "jump" that it was a pitch. The OP seems to know a runner hit by a throw is nothing.

[beerguy55]

4 minutes ago, jimurrayalterego said:

I inferred from the OP asking about ball or strike and mentioning a "jump" that it was a pitch. The OP seems to know a runner hit by a throw is nothing.

Reasonable conclusion and probably correct.  But I posted "just in case".  The runner getting too good a jump is why the pitcher is able to step off.  And sometimes, especially going home, it's very subtle and hard to see from the CF camera angle.  I've seen viewers miss it.

[stl_ump]

It was a "pitch" from a legal delivery stance.  Not a step off and throw.  Sorry for the confusion.

[jimurrayalterego]

1 hour ago, stl_ump said:

It was a "pitch" from a legal delivery stance.  Not a step off and throw.  Sorry for the confusion.

I wasn't confused.

[stl_ump]

9 minutes ago, jimurrayalterego said:

I wasn't confused.

😁

[The Man in Blue]

On 9/2/2025 at 4:38 PM, jimurrayalterego said:

No it's not nothing.

The ball becomes dead and runners advance 1 base

"5.06(c)(8) Any legal pitch touches a runner trying to score; runners advance."

The PU calls the pitch and if it was a strike 3 we use:

"5.09(c)(14) With two out, a runner on third base, and two strikes on the batter, the runner attempts to steal home base on a legal pitch and the ball touches the runner in the batter’s strike zone. The umpire shall call “Strike Three,” the batter is out and the run shall not count; before two are out, the umpire shall call “Strike Three,” the ball is dead, and the run counts."

 

 

I am not saying this is wrong . . . (it is correct!) . . . 

 

But doesn't that seem pretty messed up?  Rewarding the runner for essentially preventing the pitch?

[BigBlue4u]

3 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

But doesn't that seem pretty messed up?  Rewarding the runner for essentially preventing the pitch?

What else, within reason, could you do?  

 

[jimurrayalterego]

41 minutes ago, BigBlue4u said:

What else, within reason, could you do?  

 

Before NCAA changed to match OBR they thought a fairer approach was to only advance runners that were stealing.

[The Man in Blue]

1 hour ago, BigBlue4u said:

What else, within reason, could you do?  

 

Drink.