It should be both an educational and enjoyable experience for the players, coaches, and parents. Colorado hs baseball alum brandon mccarthy dishes on pitch cou. Stump the ump what happens to the batter on interference. Rules notice any rule not covered under an age group playing section. Many misunderstandings on the field are the result of everybody knows that. He can interfere with the catcher making a throw to retire a runner in the act of stealing a base. Nfhs rules should contact the rules interpreter designated by his or her state high school association. Baseball indianapolis, in july 2, 20 changes to high school baseball rules will include an additional example of how a batter can interfere with the catchers ability to field or throw. The special records committee of 1968 overturned many earlier rules and applied modern standards.
The only time a runner is out due to batter s interference is with less than two out and the interference is on a play at home plate. A batter might interfere with a catcher when his swing followthrough carries around to make contact with the catcher or the ball. It would be impossible to cover everything in this book. This is the most easy to understand rule book i have ever had. The batter must not, however, interfere with a play at the plate, physically contact the catcher outside the batters box, or deliberately interfere with any play. There are many different offensive interference situations. Jul 20, 2016 while the batter is charged with a plate appearance according to rule 10. The lines defining the box are within the batters box. Clicking on each link will explain the correct ruling. If the catcher interferes with the batter before the pitcher delivers the ball, it shall not be considered interference on the batter under rule 6. See next age group and or official baseball rules as published by major league baseball, inc. Finally, he can commit backswing interference also called weak interference.
A notation should be made in the boxscore that batter x was. The nfhs softball rules committee meets annually in june to discuss rules change proposals, editorial changes and points of emphasis for the following season. 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. If interference prevented possible double play, the batter and. If the fifth pitch is fouled off the batter is still up. The nfhs is the sole and exclusive source of model interpretations of nfhs rules. Unlike the welldefined playing field of most other sports, the playing area of a baseball field extends to an outfield fence in fair territory and the stadium seating in foul territory. The most misunderstood rules in little league baseball some parts of the materials below were adapted from materials prepared by manny aponte, central springfield, va ll remember. If the interference was committed by a batter or a baserunner, that player is. Baseball rules committee addresses batter interference with catcher. The most misunderstood rules in little league baseball. Baseball rule protects ballparks from lawsuits the boston. One thing to consider about baseball is most calls are judgement calls. Case book material is printed in smaller type than the rule language and is labeled as comment.
During any at bat in which the catcher interfers with the batter hitting the pitch, even if the batter still does end up making contact with the ball, he is entitled to first base. In baseball, ground rules are special rules particular to each baseball park grounds in which the game is played. Rules reference nfhs 2015baseball rules changes, rationale, comments 1. If the umpire declares the batter, batter runner, 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.
All games must start first pitch of game at their scheduled time. There are four ways a batter can be charged with interfering. If the batter interferes with the catcher, the plate umpire shall call interference offensive interference and all runners must return to the last base that was, in the judgment of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference. Penalty for this act is the lead runner will be called out. Summary of the rules for batters interference, and discussion about. So each analysis i do will simply highlight a couple of points that resonated with me more so than others. 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. The following rules shall apply, in addition to those covered in the nlpal rule book, and the major league baseball rules.
The complete rules are published as the official baseball rules at, the official web site of major league baseball in the. Mar 05, 2015 so, those are my thoughts on just a couple of points of rule 1 in the nfhs baseball rule book. The complete rules are published as the official baseball rules at, the official web site of. Beth davis from davenport iowa asks when the batter swings the bat hits catchers mitt and foul tips does he get the base. Thoughts on rule 1 of the nfhs baseball rule book the.
While the mlb book doesnt specifically say anything about verbal interference, the high school book does. Rules reference nfhs 2015baseball rules changes, rationale. Provided is a list of 10 common little league misinterpreted rules that have caused. This is one play where trying to get out of the way may well get you in trouble. It is rare to see an umpire warn a batter for taking his time between pitches. But when the dropped bat touches a batted ball, every umpire, coach and player should know the rule. This typically happens on a bunt or dropped third strike when the. I know the runner is out what is the rule on the batter. Id like some clarification on verbal interference in. Baseball rules committee addresses batter interference with. Each type of interference is covered differently by the rules. There are three ways a batter can commit batters interference.
A notation should be made in the boxscore that batter x was awarded first base because of catchers interference. While the batter is charged with a plate appearance according to rule 10. Important notes 1 the playing rules committee, at its december 2014 meeting, voted to. A catcher which hinders or prevents a batter from striking at or hitting a. The bat hitting the ball a second time results in a dead ball. Official rules of baseball canadian content cc1 official rules of baseball canadian content baseball canada shall follow the official rules of baseball except as modified within the canadian content section.
If, on such interference a runner trying to score on a steal or squeeze from third, the ball is dead and the runner on third scores and the batter is awarded first base. Author was very helpful in explaining rules of baseball without all of the mumbojumbo language. A batter might interfere with a catchers throw to a base. Baseball discussion group batters interference on steal. Nfhs baseball rules committee addresses batter interference.
Mar 26, 2014 obstruction and interference which is which. However, many people still misuse these two words during the game. Batter interference occurs while the batter is at bat and before she hits the ball. In such cases, the umpire shall call time and the pitcher and batter start over from scratch. To obtain a copy of a baseball softball rulebook contact any state or national director 6 7. The special records committee of 1968 overturned many. As you look at the image above, the batter is entitled to the batters box. Such batter runner is out, the ball is dead, and all other runners return to the. A general rule of thumb is that the box protects a batter who is struck by a thrown ball, except when a play at home is under way. Baseball rules the official major league baseball rules will prevail except as noted herein. If you have a rules proposal you would like the committee to consider, youre encouraged to work with your member state association if they find merit in your proposal, they will. 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. So, those are my thoughts on just a couple of points of rule 1 in the nfhs baseball rule book.
Runners not attempting to steal or not forced to advance remain at the base they occupied at the time of the interference. No other model rules interpretations should be considered. There are several major rules, which differ only slightly. In baseball, interference occurs in situations in which a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected. One is that they have to come to complete stand still before pitching to the batter. Nfhs baseball rules committee addresses batter interference with catcher posted july 8th, 20 changes to high school baseball rules will include an additional example of how a batter can interfere with the catchers ability to field or throw. Also, interference on a thrown ball, or throw attempt, or tag attempt, must be intentional. Tests at back of book were helpful for retention of reading. Interference might be committed by players on the offense, players not currently in the game, catchers, umpires, or spectators. Important notes 1 the playing rules committee, at its december 2014 meeting, voted to reorganize and recodify the official baseball rules into a more logical and organized manner.
Baseball is a very popular sport, but it can seem very complicated upon first look. Interference is a judgment call, but there are some commonly accepted guidelines for judging interference by a batter. A batting tee is used to facilitate both an offensive and defensive game. Official rule and does not require a reader to refer to different sections of the official baseball rules book in considering the application of a particular rule. The mlb differs from most other levels of play on this rule. Case book material in this edition are in shaded boxes and are labeled as comment. State rules interpreters may contact the nfhs for model rules interpretations. A catcher which hinders or prevents a batter from striking at or hitting a pitched ball. 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. Interference is judged and penalized several different ways, depending on where the interference occurs and who caused it. Answers to frequently asked questions baseball rules updated. New baseball rules take on rolling slides and neighborhood. Where there is a change to the official rules of baseball, the change will not take effect until it is approved by the board of directors.
After hitting or bunting a ball that continues to move over foul territory, he intentionally deflects the course of the ball in any manner while running to first base. As you look at the image above, the batter is entitled to the batter s box. The act of an offensive player or spectator that impedes, hinders or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play. The batter must not, however, interfere with a play at the plate, physically contact the catcher outside the batter s box, or deliberately interfere with any play.
If a batter drops his bat and it touches a live batted ball in fair territory, the batter is out for interference, whether he does it intentionally or not. Once a team bats around the batting order or 3 outs or 5 runs the inning is over. Interference in softball covers a wide range of actions that impede, hinder or obstruct a defensive player. Second, he can interfere with a runner who is stealing home. Players must slide at home plate if there is a play. With bases loaded the ball is lined to short and strikes runner off second. Read this lesson to discover some of the basic rules for the great sport of baseball. Batter and runner interference in softball softball. The only time a runner is out due to batters interference is with less than two out and the interference is on a play at home plate. In the mlb there is little to no concern over pace of play.