You make the call.

OK TBRers, I need your professional opinion on whether or not the homeplate umpire in an 18U ASA State bracket game made the correct call or not. Here is how it went down.

Runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Batter takes a pitch, and catcher tries to pick runner off of 3rd. Batter never moved out of box, and the catcher's throw hit the batter in the helmet and the ball deflected over the third base dugout and went out of play. What should the outcome of this play be?

I will wait to allow some of you to respond, and then I will come back later and give you what the umpires that we had calling that game ruled.

Thanks.

 

dead ball all runners move up one base

 

My guess would be that the ball is dead and each runner advances one base due to a thrown ball exiting the playing field.

 

This is an interesting scenario because it is a judgement call, which means it is subjective. As long as the batter stayed in the box and did not move to interfere with the catcher then it's not batter interference. Here's the ruling:

A batter is out for illegal action when --
(c) He interferes with the catcher’s fielding or throwing by stepping out of the batter’s box or making any other movement that hinders the catcher’s play at home base. EXCEPTION: Batter is not out if any runner attempting to advance is put out, or if runner trying to score is called out for batter’s interference.
Rule 6.06(c) Comment: If the batter interferes with the catcher, the plate umpire shall call “interference.” The batter is out and the ball dead. No player may advance on such interference (offensive interference) and all runners must return to the last base that was, in the judgment of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference.
If, however, the catcher makes a play and the runner attempting to advance is put out, it is to be assumed there was no actual interference and that runner is out—not the batter. Any other runners on the base at the time may advance as the ruling is that there is no actual interference if a runner is retired. In that case play proceeds just as if no violation had been called.

 

In the State Games this happened and the ump said our catcher should have moved around the batter for a clear path on the throw. That only cost us a base because the runner safely reached 3rd from 2nd.

I have seen interference called on the batter even when they were trying to move out of the way.

I've also heard that you can be called for interference even if you are in the box under certain circumstances.

 

yep
yep
yep

Best advice is to stay in box and not move. Ducking can be called a hindrance

 

Umpire doesn't know rules

I was watching this game that afternoon and the umpire didn't know what he was calling. The batter clearly did not move and the catcher threw the ball directly into the batter's helmet. The runners should have been advanced the base, but the umpire had some crazy explanation, which was his reason and did not follow any rule in the ASA rule book.

 

OK. Time to end the suspense on this one. I appreciate everyone's input and the information shared. A lot of you, as I, thought that it should be a dead ball and all runner's move up one base. However......the homeplate umpire ruled that it was a dead ball and all runner's stayed put. When questioned about the call, the umpires explanation was that the ball hit the batter's helmet by "ACCIDENT" and thus, no harm, no foul, everything stands pat.

SAY WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I told the ump it was the craziest thing I ever heard. If the ball leaves the field of play, the ball leaves the field. All runner's should move up one base. He disagreed. But it gets even better. The UIC was called over to the field an inning later, and heard the explanation from the home plate ump, and the UIC agreed.

Later, I spoke with two umpires that I greatly respect doing another one of our games, and both told me that the wrong call was made. Runner's should have advanced one base.

On the very next pitch after the blunderous call, our runner from third scored on a wild pitch, so a little bit of justice was served.

Thanks again for all your input.

PS - Would it surprise you if I told you that the umpiring at the 18U ASA States was some of the worst that I had ever seen?? Most of the other coaches I talked to were all in agreement that they were very bad. I heard that many of the umps that did the ASA 18U State were headed to do the 14U National Tournament. That is good news for the 18U Nationals.

 

Firstly, as long at the batter remained in the box and DID nothing to cause the umpire to think she was interfering, the batter is not out. (ASA Rule 7.6P & 7.6Q) This seems to be the consensus, but I thought I'd mention it.

If the pitch had hit the plate and bounced over the fence, this would apply:

But, the catcher caught it and threw it, so...

I'm thinking the Exception applies.

 

Agreed!

"PS - Would it surprise you if I told you that the umpiring at the 18U ASA States was some of the worst that I had ever seen?? Most of the other coaches I talked to were all in agreement that they were very bad. I heard that many of the umps that did the ASA 18U State were headed to do the 14U National Tournament. That is good news for the 18U Nationals]."/B]"

I saw a lot of head shaking being done by coaches......as walked back to the dugout after they got explanations from the umps. They definitely were not the best we've ever seen........but they were bad both ways so at least they were consistent. Sometimes all the coaches could do was laugh.