Obstruction vs interference in professional baseball basic. Part dto include additional situations when spectator interference may be. The role of the designated hitter in high school baseball has been expanded to give coaches an additional option for the 2020 season. Oct 29, 2019 washington nationals shortstop trea turner was called out on a controversial interference call in game 6 of the 2019 world series vs. Nfhs rule changes approved in high school baseball, softball.
When a fielder, without possession of the ball, impedes the progress of a runner. Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders, or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. Rule on runners interference in game 6 of world series may need. If done by a baserunner, both he and the batter are called out. If the batter interferes with the catchers throw to retire a runner by stepping out of the batters box, the plate umpire shall call interference. By enhancing baseball rule book language and the overall format, this series improves the value knowledge to the reader, while supporting the actual source of those rulings. Any reference in these official baseball rules to he, him, or his shall be deemed to be a reference to she, her, or hers, as the case may be, when the person is a female. As an example when finding a word like interference, 5 occurrences appear. Baseball rules book in considering the application of a particular rule. Obstruction occurs when a fielder, who does not have the ball or is not in the process of a fielding attempt, hinders the path of a base runner. For printed versions of our rulebooks, please view the links to shopping cart below. Baseball 101 interference vs obstruction close call. Many people believe the batters box is a safety zone for the batter.
All portions of this particular page and the pages of the official major league rules book are sole property of major league baseball and have been reproduced without any alteration by baseball almanac who first obtained. In general, the offense interferes and the defense obstructs. The batterrunner is also declared out and all other runners must return to. Spectator interference occurs when a spectator reaches out of the stands, or goes on the playing field.
Ahsaa news high school baseball, softball rules changes. How about the proper enforcement batter interference on strike three. Nfhs baseball rules in black and white by jim bettencourt. Ncaa baseball rules committee the chart below lists the members of the committee who voted on and approved the rules included in this edition of the book this information is being included for historical purposes name institution term expiration doug aiken chapman university aug. These two interferences were never covered in the previous rule.
The terms interference and obstruction sometimes get confused on tv, but for an umpire, these two words carry very different definitions and the rules prescribe opposite penalties. The revision to rule 314 was the only change recommended by the national federation of state high school associations nfhs baseball rules committee at its june 24 meeting in indianapolis. Elliot hopkins, mld, caa, editor nfhs publications to maintain the sound traditions of this sport, encourage sportsmanship and minimize the inherent risk of injury, the national federation of state high school associations writes playing rules for varsity competition among. Answers to frequently asked questions baseball rules updated. If a runner fails to do so, he is guilty of malicious contact, which is one kind of. The other type of interference that is sometimes called is when a runner deliberately interferes either with the ball or a fielder to break up a double play. This change is intended to make the current rule similar to the professional baseball rule by simplifying the designated hitter rule while maintaining the ability of the twoway player pitcherdh in the collegiate game.
A fielder who gets possession of a fly ball in his hand or glove and then runs into a wall or another player and drops the ball is considered to have made a catch if he has taken at least 3 steps with the ball in his possession. The following is a very basic illustration of the difference between offensive interference and defensive obstruction in baseball. This manual is the answer key to those questions and many others. In 1983 dale berra of the pirates set a major league record by being awarded first base on interference seven times in one season. E books are available via itunes and amazon, while print publications can be purchased on.
Obstruction vs interference in professional baseball. This includes a fielder blocking a base or the catcher blocking home plate, when they are not in possession of the ball or in the middle of fielding the ball. Baseball rules in plain english mailfax order page. Defining catchers interference little league baseball. After that is an additional comment in the rule book that covers the.
Nfhs baseball rules committee proposes five rule changes. Rule 2214 will state that followthrough interference is when the bat hits the catcher after the batter has swung at a pitch and hinders action at home plate or the catcher. Visit our frequently asked questions section to find solutions for your issues. Aug 24, 2018 12 if interference occurred in an attempt to break up a double play. Pony baseball and softball offers their rulebooks in secure pdf format for download. In other baseball rules changes, the committee expanded the definition of interference in rule 221 to include followthrough interference and backswing interference. I have been umpiring youth baseball for many decades and this is a revelation. The casebook of little league baseball and softball, examples of interference and obstruction illustrate and help to define the difference between these two judgment calls. There are six categories of plate appearances official times at bat, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, bases on balls, and hit by pitch are the other five. The ball is dead, and the batterrunner is awarded first base. Nov 10, 2011 spectator fan interference is defined by rule 2. For your convenience, nfhs offers rules and case books in multiple formats. If you see batters interference, but the catcher gets the throw off anyway and succeeds in retiring the runner, then ignore the interference.
Case book material is printed in smaller type than the rule language and is labeled as comment. After batters interference a n d the initial attempt to put out the runner is unsuccessful, no. The batterrunner is also declared out and all other runners must return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch. Rule 2214 will state that followthrough interference is when the ball hits the catcher after the batter has swung at a pitch and hinders action at home plate or the catcher. Rules changes approved in high school baseball, softball. We are changing how baseball understands the rules of the game. Official usssa baseball national bylaws and rulesofficial usssa baseball national bylaws and rules. Also under nfhs rules only, all runners are required to attempt to avoid collisions. In baseball, interference is an infraction where a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected.
On such a play, then, if other runners were also stealing when the interference is waved off. Offensive interference is defined in the major league rule book obr in the section definitions interference. Spectator or fan interference is not a rule book nor ground rule double. The following list will provide you the information on whether your car engine is an interference engine or a non interference engine. What mlb rulebook says about bizarre interference call against nationals trea turner turner was ruled out on a controversial decision in the seventh inning of game 6 by r. Baseball rules in plain english credit cardpaypal order page. If the umpire declares the batter, batterrunner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgment of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference.
However, if the catcher interferes with the batter prior to. Using your browser functions, you can also find words within each rule by pressing ctrlf then type in a word like interference. The terms interference and obstruction are often misunderstood and confused by managers, coaches, and umpires alike. This typically happens on a bunt or dropped third strike when the. All portions of this particular page and the pages of the official major league rules book are sole property of major league baseball and have been reproduced without any alteration by baseball almanac who first obtained the written permission of the office of the commissioner. The batter may be called out for interference although he is within the box. The players, coaches, or any member of an offensive team shall vacate any space including both dugouts needed by a fielder who is attempting to field a batted or thrown ball. Jul 23, 2014 rule 2214 will state that followthrough interference is when the ball hits the catcher after the batter has swung at a pitch and hinders action at home plate or the catchers attempt to play on a runner, and rule 2215 will state that backswing interference is when a batter contacts the catcher or his equipment prior to the time. Baseball rules ebooks independent umpires association. On a force play, the runner is also guilty of interference. If youre serious about learning and understanding the rules, you must have this book. Jun 19, 20 the baseball rule book may be as complicated as any in professional sports, and a recent espn article showed just how little some mlb playerscoachesanalysts know about the more indepth rules of.
Little league international has assembled an online resource page dedicated to baseball bat information, that includes the latest bat information, current little league baseball rules and regulations governing bats, and a series of frequently asked questions. Interference can also be called when a batter is running outside the 3 foot line on the 2 nd half of the way to 1 st base, rule 6. Obstruction and interference little league umpiring. Rule 2215 reads that backswing interference is when a batter contacts the catcher or his equipment prior to the time of the pitch. An interference engine is one that has insufficient clearance between the valves and pistons if the cam stops turning due to a broken timing belt. Baseball rules in black and white is the lead innovator in baseball rules education, we create and provide state of the art rule education resources that are not available anywhere else. If done by the batter, both he and the runner closes to home plate are called out. Obstruction and interference are rule violations that occur in the field of play, typically involving base runners. In baseball, interference occurs in situations in which a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected. This typically happens on a bunt or dropped third strike when the throw is coming from the vicinity of home plate. It is interference by a batter or runner when a the batter hinders the catcher in an attempt to field the ball. During a senior division baseball game, with a runner on second base, the batter hits a sharp ground ball, which strikes the umpire before it reaches an infielder. Baseball rules are numerous and two of the most difficult are the rules governing interference and obstruction. We want to bring you the most uptodate, informative and exciting baseball information.
In the ncaa baseball rules, the administrative rules that may be altered by mutual consent of the competing institutions are. It contains rule interpretations based upon the official baseball rules. Nhfs rule 735c penalizes backswing interference fed uses the term followthrough interference when it interferes with a catchers attempt to retire a base runner. This secure format allows for viewing but not printing. Interference might be committed by players on the offense, players not currently in the game, catchers, umpires, or spectators. Return the runner to third base cather interference. The umpire determines whether or not a fielder is in the process of fielding. Each type of interference is covered differently by the rules. Defining interference and obstruction little league.
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