Saw a crazy play yesterday…

[Vertigo]

**Sorry - the following occurred during a baseball game but could happen during SB, as well.**

I was watching our local LL baseball team playing in the 12U District All-Star tournament yesterday. The other team was up to bat, had runners on 1st and 2nd, two outs. Ball was hit hard and actually deflected off the field umpire who was in the vicinity of behind SS. Runner on 2B made it to 3B and proceeded to round 3rd but then realized the ball never made it out of the IF so he was tagged out trying to get back to the bag.

Now obviously if this ball did not hit the umpire it would have easily made it to the OF and at least one run would have scored. I kind of felt bad for the other team because after that happened, the game was cut short (5th inning) as the skies opened up and they were the away team. Game over. My local LL won 1-0.

What is the official ruling for a play like that?

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

**Sorry - the following occurred during a baseball game but could happen during SB, as well.**

I was watching our local LL baseball team playing in the 12U District All-Star tournament yesterday. The other team was up to bat, had runners on 1st and 2nd, two outs. Ball was hit hard and actually deflected off the field umpire who was in the vicinity of behind SS. Runner on 2B made it to 3B and proceeded to round 3rd but then realized the ball never made it out of the IF so he was tagged out trying to get back to the bag.

Now obviously if this ball did not hit the umpire it would have easily made it to the OF and at least one run would have scored. I kind of felt bad for the other team because after that happened, the game was cut short (5th inning) as the skies opened up and they were the away team. Game over. My local LL won 1-0.

What is the official ruling for a play like that?

G. Umpire interference occurs:
1 When an umpire is hit by a fair, untouched batted ball before it passes an infielder, excluding the pitcher. The batter-runner is awarded first base.

But, in softball, in practice, this never happens, because the base umpires work outside the infielders (like your LL game).

In your case, and in most cases in softball, if we're hit by a batted ball after it's passed an infielder, the ball is live.

 

[The Man In Blue]

@Greatdaytobeawildcat is that a LL citation?

Most codes don't actually call that umpire interference, but the result is the same.

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

@Greatdaytobeawildcat is that a LL citation?

Most codes don't actually call that umpire interference, but the result is the same.

No, it's a USA softball cite. I was answering from the "but could happen in SB too" perspective.

 

[Vertigo]

Thanks for the replies. Now if it deflected off the umpire and then goes out of play - would it then become dead ball, runner gets the base they were attempting to get to?

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

Thanks for the replies. Now if it deflected off the umpire and then goes out of play - would it then become dead ball, runner gets the base they were attempting to get to?

I. When a fair batted ball:
4 Deflects off a runner or umpire and goes out of play, after passing an infielder, excluding the pitcher and provided no other fielder had a chance to make an out.
Effect:
a The ball is dead.
b All runners are awarded two bases from the time of the pitch.

That written, a ball hit so hard that it deflects off an umpire and goes out of play would probably result in a severely injured or dead umpire

 

[The Man In Blue]

That written, a ball hit so hard that it deflects off an umpire and goes out of play would probably result in a severely injured or dead umpire

Nah, we're tough.