- Oct 14, 2019
- 907
- 93
It would be a lot safer if batter out of the box = interference.
There doesn't need to be contact to hinder or impede the fielder. I had a runner get so close to the SS that she couldn't step into fielding the ball, which arrived right as the runner was passing in front of the shortstop. No contact, but clear interference. The terrible umpire (I'd had him before. He's never been good, never appears to try to do a good job, doesn't know the rules, etc.) kept making different arguments, but settled on "The interference wasn't intentional," which is when I had to inform him he just admitted there was interference and he was just choosing to not follow the rules. What he should've said was "It doesn't matter how wrong I am. I'm doing what I feel like doing because I have no power anywhere else in my life." Would've been accurate and I would've at least respected his honesty.
Btw, here's NFHS on interference. No mention of contact being necess