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| Dennis (Hosanna)
April 18, 2007
12:42:19 PM
Entry #: 2081754
| Having finally skimmed through the rule changes, it appears that most of them are just clarifications that don’t actually change the rules. For example, because ‘a majority of games across the country play in parks that do not have fully enclosed fences’, the definition of a catch was tweaked to make it more clear as to what happens if a fielder runs out of bounds.
But there are a few points that rules-enthusiasts may find interesting:
1. Interference.
There was a loophole before whereby the offense could benefit from intentional interference, but this has been closed. For example, suppose it’s a tie game, bottom of the last inning, 2 outs, and a runner (R3) on 3B. If the batter hits a high fly ball towards F3, then R3 could very well reach home before F3 can catch the fly. If F3 makes the catch for the third out, then the run wouldn’t count because the BR never reached 1B safely.
Under the previous rules, if BR had reached 1B and then deliberately interfered with F3 to prevent the catch, the run would count, and the game would be over (BR would be out too, but for interference after reaching 1B).
The new rule states that if the interference takes away the defence’s ability to make a force out for the third out of an inning, no runs can score. Note that a BR not reaching 1B safely is not technically a force out, but for interpretation purposes, it is treated as such (catching a fly ball means that the BR did not reach 1B safely).
2. Obstruction.
If a runner is obstructed, that runner gains two types of protection: s/he cannot be put out between the bases where the obstruction occurred; and s/he is protected to the base s/he would have reached had there been no obstruction (in the judgment of the umpire). Both of these protections are independent of each other. Some examples:
-BR hits a liner to the gap and is obstructed by F3 as s/he is rounding 1B (F3 has no business being in the runner’s path if there is no play there). Because the OBS occurred between 1B and 2B, the runner cannot be put out between those two bases. If the runner would have reached 3B without the OBS, the runner is also protected to 3B. If the runner manages to reach 3B safely and then proceeds towards home, the runner would be in jeopardy because BOTH of these protections have been fulfilled.
-R2 is caught in a rundown between 2B and 3B. While trying to return to 2B, s/he is obstructed. The runner cannot be put out between 2B and 3B, and the runner is also protected to 2B. If the ball is overthrown into the outfield, and the runner reaches 2B and then tries to advance to 3B, s/he is still protected (s/he has gone beyond the protected base but is still between the bases where the OBS occurred).
Under the old rule, there were some strange ramifications. The rule change makes it so that the protection between the bases where the OBS occurred is removed if the defense makes a play on a different runner.
For example, with the second scenario, suppose that the runner (R2) had gotten back to 2B safely, and that another runner (R1) was halfway to 2B. The defense now tries to play on R1. Under the old rule, R2 could attempt to advance with impunity because s/he would still be protected between the bases where the OBS occurred. Under the new rule, once the defense plays on R1, the between-the-bases protection for R2 is gone, and R2 would be in jeopardy if attempting to advance (but note that if s/he hadn’t reached 2B yet, then the other protection would still be on).
3. Batter-runner
If a batter-runner steps back toward homeplate to avoid or delay a tag, the ball is dead and the BR is out. Under previous rules, other runners would be returned to the last base held at the time of the infraction. Under the new rules, other runners are returned to the last base held at the time of the pitch.
Everything else on the summary seemed to be a clarification. The EDSUA umpiring clinic runs this weekend (Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday; 20-22 April) at St. Edmund's School. Rules changes will necessary be discussed there, and I plan to be there, but I'll probably miss most if not all of Saturday (I'll be at the Little League umpiring clinic which runs that day at Ottewell).
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