You Make The Call......

.....batter strikes out swinging on a drop ball in the dirt, first base open so the batter runs to 1B. As the batter takes off, the ball in the dirt hits the catcher in the chest and ricochets back toward the field, the ball hits the batter/runner in the foot and now the ball is rolling off towards the 1B dugout...........is she safe at first? Why? Is she out? Why?
Fishman

 

Fishman, I saw this today (UNC vs. Washington). The runner should have been called out when the ball hit her foot and was then the ball was kicked. Runner was out of the box when the ball hit her therefore, she is out! Blue gave her first base and blew the call. Replay showed he was wrong

 

....from one fishman to another, why is she out?

weird play to say the least and I'm with you that the kid shouldn't be granted 1B but I'd like to know some rule interpretation.


......take a brother fishin dog!!!
Fishpal

 

Don't know why the ump granted her first. The replay clearly showed ump looking looking down as he rung her up. Don't know why he didn't see her kick the ball with her foot.

As to why she should have been called out...... The ball made contact with her after she was out of the box!!!!!!!

 

ok but

Fish, just one minor correction; pretty sure there was 2 outs and a runner already on 1B but that doesn't change the situation that arose.

I saw this play. Batter did not contact the ball w/ her bat, right? as she was starting to run from the batters box, as the catcher blocks the ball it just happened to roll forward and comes in contact with the batter-runner. She did not "kick" it as I saw the play.

fastpitchdad, by what rule would the batter-runner be ruled out?

 

again

yes agree if ball is batted then strikes the batter-runner out of the box, she is out. but in this situation, the ball was not contacted by the bat.

 

....as for two outs and 1B occupied, no problem, its still fairgame to advance to 1B on a dropped 3rd strike.
As for the batter/runner not kicking the ball, yes I saw it the same way as you Eastpal, but she did make contact with the ball and the result was an unplayable ball because the catcher had no chance to get it and throw to 1B.

Anyway, as you stated above, whats the rule to be applied?

Fish

 

humm

why would the batter-runner be penalized for the catcher not catching the ball cleanly and letting it roll in the path of the batter-runner? the whole issue is that the 3rd strike was not caught cleanly and it seems to me it's the responsibility of the defense to get this right if they expect to put out the batter-runner. The batter-runner definitely did not intensionally come in contact or kick the ball. The right call resulted.

 

4 calls possible - 3 and 4 take a stupid ump based on the details given

1) play ball and what happens happens.

2) runner interference - runner out.

3) if the batter made contact with the ball, it hits off the catcher and hits the runner? -- Foul Ball

4) giving her first means the ump treated the play as a thrown ball that hit a batter in the baseline.

 

I'm not sure of the exact rule but I'm sure somebody on here will. The ball was live after the 3rd dropped strike, bounced off the catchers chest protector back towards the home plate and as the runner/batter starts to advance the ball came into contact with her foot. Shouldn't interference be applied here. It's my understanding that the ball is live and the kick of the ball should create an interference call.