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Eastern Division Contact Rule
The following contact rule at home plate is effective immediately in the Eastern Division. Please contact commissioner Ron Hart with any questions.
For plays at home plate, any offensive player attempting to score and colliding with the catcher, if in the umpire's judgement such collision was unnecessary, violent and avoidable, said collision shall be considered "flagrant and malicious", resulting in the immediate ejection from the game of the offensive player. If in the umpires judgement, the defensive player (catcher) was obstructing the base path, the offensive player will be awarded home. Nevertheless, the offensive player is ejected from the game for unnecessary, violent and avoidable "flagrant and malicious contact"
Rationale for rule change
MLB (Official Baseball Rules) are designed and written for professional baseball players. Professional athletes participate in baseball as a career choice. The amateur athlete (i.e. collegian player, scholastic player or Land O' Lakes player) is not, by definition, a professional baseball player whose participation is career oriented. With this in mind, the rule change is made for the following reason(s).
1. This rule change best exemplifies the spirit of NCAA and NFHS baseball rules regarding violent collisions with the catcher at home plate.
2. Safety of the players. An amateur athlete needs to go to work the next day and often needs to support a family. It makes no sense for the defensive or offensive player to be put at risk of potential serious injury by avoidable contact at home plate.
3. Far too often, the end result of avoidable contact at home plate is at best a verbal confrontation between opponents and at worst a physical confrontation between opponents. Neither is in the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play and often leads to further hostilities between the two opponents.
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