Top plays of the week.
Have you read your rulesbook lately?
1. Runner on 1st, two outs. Slow roller to 3rd, the third basemen
throws to 1st the runner is safe. The runner on 1st attempts to
advance to 3rd base as she is sliding into third the ball gets lodged
underneath her. The runner then digs the ball out from
underneath herself and flipped it to the shortstop, so the issue is
that the offensive player handled a live ball.
Question: Which of these is correct?
a. Legal play
b. Obstruction
c. Blocked ball
d. Interference
Answer: Legal play
From: Dee Abrahamson SRE
Blocked ball would apply if a ball is stuck or lodged (like in a
player's uniform where an opponent cannot retrieve it) but it
sounds like the runner was on top of the ball rather than the ball
not being retrievable.
Interference would apply if the runner prevented the defender
from making a play but she actually gave the shortstop the ball
and helped her. I think it could be interference if the ball was
under the runner and then she hid the ball from the defense by
scooping it into her uniform or rolling away from the defender in
an obvious attempt to allow the batter-runner to advance to
second base. But it doesn't sound like that's the case.
From the description, it doesn't sound like the defense was
prevented from making a play so I would have nothing.
2. In the fourth inning the coach from the red team re-enters a
player without reporting it to the umpires. In the bottom of the
seventh inning this same player hits a game-winning homerun,
once she touches home plate but before the defense has left their
positions, the defensive coach alerts the plate umpire that she was
an unreported substitute.
Question: Should the plate umpire?
a. Let the play stand.
b. Declare the player out and nullify all play.
c. Declare the player out, nullify all play and eject the player
as an illegal substitute.
Answer: Declare the player out and nullify all play.
From: Dee Abrahamson SRE
The correct effect for an unreported reentry is that the player is
declared out and the results of the play (the apparent gamewinning homerun and advance by other base runners) are
nullified.
3. The batter has two strikes two outs and first base unoccupied. On
the next pitch the batter swings, misses the pitch and the catcher
drops the ball. The plate umpire declares the batter out. Both the
batter and catcher think it was the third out of the inning. The
coached yells at the batter to run the catcher hurriedly throws the
ball over first base. Not sure where the batter-runner ended up
maybe it would be important to say she’s on whatever base. Once
the ball becomes dead the defensive coach asks the umpire “why
the batter was able to run since she had been called out.” The
umpires replies the catcher should have known the situation and
played on the batter so it was her error to not throw immediately
and her error to over throw the ball.
Question: Should the play stand?
Answer: The play stands third out of the inning.
From: Dee Abrahamson SRE.
Because the umpire declared the batter out (rather than strike
three), the third out ended the inning and no subsequent action is
relevant. If there had not been two outs, the catcher would still
not be required to put the batter out again but if she overthrew
the live ball to any base, including first base, base runners would
be able to advance at their own risk.
4. Is this pitcher legal?
(Click the image below to view the video clip)
4. Legal
From: Dee Abrahamson SRE.
From the video, it appears the pitcher does not violate and NCAA
pitching rules. Although many other rule codes require the
pitcher to begin her pitch with shoulders in line with first and
third bases, NCAA rules do not have such requirement.