Unusual plays

joe dokes

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Not so wild, but I don't remember seeing this before:

Tonight against the Yankees, runner on 1st and tries to steal second. He is safe, but the home plate ump rules that since the follow through swing of the batter hit the catcher while he was trying to throw (and it hit him solidly, very clearly), it was interference and the runner had to go back to 1st. But what I don't get (and admittedly I haven't researched it at all) is why the runner was not called out? Very strange rule to me.
I think it's a dead ball on the interference.
 

BigJimEd

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Not so wild, but I don't remember seeing this before:

Tonight against the Yankees, runner on 1st and tries to steal second. He is safe, but the home plate ump rules that since the follow through swing of the batter hit the catcher while he was trying to throw (and it hit him solidly, very clearly), it was interference and the runner had to go back to 1st. But what I don't get (and admittedly I haven't researched it at all) is why the runner was not called out? Very strange rule to me.
Yes, on back swing interference, the ball is dead and no one is called out.

In other cases where batter interfered with throw, the batter is out and runner returns to base.
 
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BroodsSexton

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But don’t you guys know that the Yankees should get the benefit of every call even those inconsistent with the rule book? <duck>
 

jon abbey

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Heh, a very similar play just happened in TOR/LAA, Bichette at the plate, runner at second. Bichette swung and missed and hit the catcher on the backswing, the catcher was trying to pick the runner off of second but was unable to even make a throw, so they called interference and Bichette was out. That was my point originally (having nothing to do with it affecting the Yankees, @BroodsSexton , but you probably knew that), if the ump calls interference, someone should be out.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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Heh, a very similar play just happened in TOR/LAA, Bichette at the plate, runner at second. Bichette swung and missed and hit the catcher on the backswing, the catcher was trying to pick the runner off of second but was unable to even make a throw, so they called interference and Bichette was out. That was my point originally (having nothing to do with it affecting the Yankees, @BroodsSexton , but you probably knew that), if the ump calls interference, someone should be out.
So what was the difference in the rulings or the plays? Was one adjudicated correctly and the other incorrect? Or were there enough situational differences to justify/validate each call?
 

jon abbey

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So what was the difference in the rulings or the plays? Was one adjudicated correctly and the other incorrect? Or were there enough situational differences to justify/validate each call?
I have no idea, it just seems like it should always result in an out, the runner or the batter. If Bichette was called out for doing it, the batter the other night should have been also.
 

Zedia

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I have no idea, it just seems like it should always result in an out, the runner or the batter. If Bichette was called out for doing it, the batter the other night should have been also.
Can‘t find the Yankees example you referred to, but this explanation seems to be that Bichette stepped out of the box on his follow through. Also, it’s kind of crazy that I had to find this on YouTube rather than the MLB app, they need to include stuff like this in their highlight vids.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ECpeiH57t8
 

jon abbey

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I didn’t find video but this was the play (in the Wed 3-1 NYY win):

“In the first inning of the game, Pete Alonso was called for interference, negating Francisco Lindor’s steal of second base. Alonso’s backswing hit catcher Kyle Higashioka, prompting plate umpire Doug Eddings to make the call. “
 

Zedia

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I didn’t find video but this was the play (in the Wed 3-1 NYY win):

“In the first inning of the game, Pete Alonso was called for interference, negating Francisco Lindor’s steal of second base. Alonso’s backswing hit catcher Kyle Higashioka, prompting plate umpire Doug Eddings to make the call. “
Just watched it, Alonso never left the batter box, and certainly didn’t interfere to the degree Bichette did (literally stepping in front of the throw).

I have no idea what the rule is on back swings. Seems like that should be on the catcher.

And the quoted portion isn’t quite right, it wasn’t interference because of the backswing, but because he stepped out of the batters box in front of the throw.

edit - as @joe dokes says, it’s a dead ball.

Rule 6:06 Comment: If a batter strikes at a ball and misses and swings so hard he carries the bat all the way around and, in the umpire’s judgment, unintentionally hits the catcher or the ball in back of him on the backswing before the catcher has securely held the ball, it shall be called a strike only (not interference). The ball will be dead, however, and no runner shall advance on the play.
 
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BroodsSexton

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Tonight against the Yankees, runner on 1st and tries to steal second. He is safe, but the home plate ump rules that since the follow through swing of the batter hit the catcher while he was trying to throw (and it hit him solidly, very clearly), it was interference and the runner had to go back to 1st. But what I don't get (and admittedly I haven't researched it at all) is why the runner was not called out? Very strange rule to me.
I have no idea, it just seems like it should always result in an out, the runner or the batter. If Bichette was called out for doing it, the batter the other night should have been also.
Everybody’s out!

(Everyone but the Yankees!)
 

BigJimEd

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That Bichette play is text book. He comes out and blocks the catcher's way. Doesn't get much easier to call than that. The bat coming around and making contact is immaterial there.


Backswing interference often has little to no impact on the play. I don't really see why these actions should be lumped together.
 

jon abbey

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They called interference on the batter on both plays, but the answer really is just that there is a lot of discretion for the umpire on these plays, same as with balks.
 

BigJimEd

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It's different types of interference with normally easily identifiable differences.
 

jon abbey

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It's different types of interference with normally easily identifiable differences.
I should drop this but it's easy to say they're different kinds of interference when they flash the rule on the screen during the video like that, but during the live game, they just showed Bichette hitting him on the back swing and interference being called, which was when/why I posted about it.

Bichette stepping in front of the plate so blatantly helps clear up the confusion, but I still think the rule for the other one should be an out, not a dead ball (and I am actually rooting for the Yankees to lose games until the deadline so that maybe they'll sell, @BroodsSexton).
 

BroodsSexton

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I should drop this but it's easy to say they're different kinds of interference when they flash the rule on the screen during the video like that, but during the live game, they just showed Bichette hitting him on the back swing and interference being called, which was when/why I posted about it.

Bichette stepping in front of the plate so blatantly helps clear up the confusion, but I still think the rule for the other one should be an out, not a dead ball (and I am actually rooting for the Yankees to lose games until the deadline so that maybe they'll sell, @BroodsSexton).
Oh boy. I WAAAAANTED them to lose!
 

Zedia

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I should drop this but it's easy to say they're different kinds of interference when they flash the rule on the screen during the video like that, but during the live game, they just showed Bichette hitting him on the back swing and interference being called, which was when/why I posted about it.

Bichette stepping in front of the plate so blatantly helps clear up the confusion, but I still think the rule for the other one should be an out, not a dead ball (and I am actually rooting for the Yankees to lose games until the deadline so that maybe they'll sell, @BroodsSexton).
I’m not so sure they “called interference” in the Yankees game, so much as made the ruling I quoted above. There’s no mention of “interference” in the score sheet, it’s just Michael Kay saying that. Regardless, the rule clearly states it’s a dead ball.

Pretend Bichette didn’t hit him with the backswing. Because it had nothing to do with the interference call.
 

GruberTaggedHim

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Luke Raley hits a crazy inside-the-park HR in SF
[/QUOTE]

As a sidebar, one of my favorite positions to play in The Show is RF for the Giants, because I feel the game does a good job of simulating all of those weird caroms. (Also because it is fun to hear the ball go "plunk" when you hit it into the cove...)
 

soxhop411

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I totally forgot that the first use of replay in baseball was in 1999 when umpire Frank Pulli took it upon himself to check video playback from one of the ESPN cameras to determine if the Marlins' Cliff Floyd had homered. this was of course unsanctioned and the NL president at the time gave him a chewing out

https://www.mlb.com/video/floyd-s-home-run-overturned

An SI piece from 2020 recapping this whole ordeal
https://www.si.com/mlb/athletics/news/the-day-instant-replay-made-its-way-into-baseballs-national-consciousness