Outfielder’s Throw is Deflected into Dead Ball Territory
Whenever a thrown, pitched, or batted ball is deflected into dead ball territory, umpires must be able to make the proper base award and coaches should be able to determine if the base award was proper. This can impact the outcome of a game. Thrown Ball Deflected into Dead Ball Territory Take what occurred when…
Deflected Balls that Remain in Play (Part 3)
Deflected Batted Ball Strikes the Runner Deflections make for knotty problems since they usually lead to right of way arguments. Whenever a batted ball is deflected off the pitcher or another infielder into the path of the runner, one of three things can happen: The ball can remain alive and in play The runner can…
Can a runner go back and tag a missed base while the ball is dead?
Can a runner go back and tag a missed base while the ball is dead? Well, that depends. Here are some circumstances to consider. For instance, if a batter-runner misses first base and his fair batted ball ends-up in the seats for a book-rule double, he can still return to touch his missed base while…
Runners Passing Runners, Oh My!
Author: Rich Marazzi: Rules consultant- Blue Jays, Brewers, Cardinals, D’backs, Dodgers, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rays, Reds, Red Sox, Royals, Tigers, Twins, Yankees, the Sinclair Regional Sports Networks, ESPN, YES, and White Sox TV Passing the Runner: Rule 5.09 (b) (9) The passing the runner rule might be best understood if it read, “When…
Batter Interferes With Catcher’s Throw – Two MLB Examples
Two Batter Interference plays that occurred six days apart are worth a look. Play Number 1 On August 31, 2017, the Astros hosted the Rangers at Tropicana Field in Florida because of Hurricane Harvey. In the bottom of the first, the Astros had George Springer on first base and no outs when Alex Bregman swung…
Chris Carter Runs Out of Baseline
The Yankees-Royals game on Tuesday night ended with a running out of the baseline/DP. With one out and Chris Carter on first base, Jacoby Ellsbury hit a ground ball to second baseman Whit Merrifield, who made progress toward Carter after fielding the ball. The moment Merrifield ran in the direction of Carter, his baseline was…
