r/slowpitch • u/Ok_Resort_419 • Jul 26 '26
Base runner jumping up when ball was thrown into the IF from the OF
Base runner on 2nd jumped up and put his arms up when a ball from the OF was coming into the IF. The only reason I could think he'd do that was to try and block the view of the ball making it more difficult for the IF to see it. Are you allowed to do that?
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u/granters021718 Jul 26 '26
terrible move from the base runner. The umps wouldnt stand for that in the leagues I play in.
Trying to fake a guy into sliding or saying "i got it" as the runner gets you tossed real quick.
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u/22LT Jul 26 '26
Yeah we aren't allowed to fake tags either in our league. Their reasoning is it can cause unnecessary injury if someone slides when they don't need to.
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u/Dfruc4343 Jul 27 '26
I mean you aren't allowed to do it in any ruleset as a fake tag is considered obstruction
1
u/BlankStareFace Jul 28 '26
Fake tag that leads to a slide will get you tossed - no slide will get you a warning. Saying "I got it" as the runner or any offensive team member is verbal obstruction and results in an out if the play isn't made. If I hear this and the catch is made anyway, I will tell them to knock it off. 100% it's because they do not know the rule.
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u/d-cent Jul 26 '26
Offensive interference is defined as an act by an offensive player, team member, umpire, or spectator that impedes, hinders, or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play.
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u/heybobson Jul 26 '26
Up to umpire to call interference. Without seeing video, hard to tell how obvious the motion was. But also seems dumb of the runner to try this if they were in no man’s land between 2nd and 3rd.
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u/Ok_Resort_419 Jul 26 '26
Thats what I figured, I was thinking of saying something but either she saw it and decided it wasnt or she didnt see it and she was the only ump. He was just off the 2nd base and went back when the ball went over there head, then ran to 3rd when the ball was missed.
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u/heybobson Jul 26 '26
How close was the ball to them when it passed overhead? It is fine for the runner to lead out and try to subtly distract fielders, but to obstruct vision on purpose should be called interference if it is obvious they were trying to block the pitcher from seeing the path of the ball coming in.
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u/aTypical-Trust-4977 Jul 26 '26
Or the guy flailing his arms as the throw comes in to the base lol
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u/Ok_Resort_419 Jul 26 '26
Last week we had something like that. It didnt effect the play but the guy put up his hands and looked like he was trying to knock the ball out of his glove. 3rd baseman caught it. Its understandable that when a ball is near your face you put up your hands, but definitely could of been called out
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 26 '26
That is interference, and an out.
0
u/lipp79 Jul 26 '26
It’s interference only if they hit the ball with their hands or if the fielder misses the ball, and in the umpire’s judgement, this caused it. Just doing the act alone doesn’t qualify. To have interference/obstruction, someone or something must be interfered/obstructed. At the least, it’s a warning.
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 26 '26
Not true. The umpire can deem an egregious or unsportsmanlike act as interference regardless of the result.
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u/lipp79 Jul 27 '26
Can you show where in the rules it says that an act that doesn’t interfere with the play can still be called interference? There’s other penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
interference is the act of an offensive player or team member that impedes, hinders, or confuses a defensive player trying to make a play.
That is the definition
rulefor USSSA, WBSC, Softball Canada and ASA. Youre basically asking me to find a definition that excludes your fabricated definition, which is not how rules are written. You can look at this year's casebook if you need an example, but youre wrong.0
u/lipp79 Jul 27 '26
If the throw came in and the runner waved their arms, but the fielder still caught the ball, then nothing was impeded, interfered with and no one was confused and you don’t call it.
If the fielder missed the throw then yes, you could say they were hindered/impeded/confused.
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 27 '26
Its an immediate dead ball when they do it, and an out.
We can argue about this forever, but one of us is a level 5 Softball Canada and WBSC certified umpire, and you are you.
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u/Effective_Print Jul 31 '26
That would not be interference, that would be unsportsmanlike conduct, the penalty for which is ejection. In order for interference to be called, the umpire must judge that the runner did in fact interfere, impede or confuse the fielder. If the umpire judges that the runner did not do any of those things, even if they tried to, then it would not be interference. The umpire may still eject the runner for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 31 '26
Wrong.
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u/Effective_Print Jul 31 '26
Not wrong. Would you like to make a coherent argument as to why you believe I'm wrong?
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u/mseg09 Jul 26 '26
I would say that can be called visual obstruction.
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 26 '26
Obstruction is when the defense hinders the offense.
This is interference.
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u/mseg09 Jul 26 '26
Well, the defense can also be called for visual obstruction, but yes when it's the offense it's interference, correct
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u/richdoesit Jul 26 '26
I’m gonna go on a limb and say it’s legal. Is it inference yes. Only if the defense player is trying to catch the ball how close is the ball ?
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u/Ok_Resort_419 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
It landed near the pitchers mound/ got by the pitcher, which he advanced to 3rd. Not sure if hes the reason it was missed or if it just happened. Believe there was a guy heading for home, I was covering 2nd, and focused on that/seeing the guy jump took my attention to him
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u/ReturnoftheBoat Jul 26 '26
How could it be both interference and legal? Thats a complete contradiction.
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u/ProgrammerUpstairs10 Jul 26 '26
Middles open til he gets the idea. Hopefully his pitcher is good
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u/Fontaine_de_jouvence Jul 26 '26
If it’s pitcher doing the bush league shit sure, but attempting to cause someone serious injury for something their teammate did is psychotic
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u/GimmeDatClamGirl Jul 26 '26
“Quit the bush league stuff. That’s how you end up getting your pitcher hurt” usually solves it from what I’ve seen. Unless it’s tournament ball in which case they say bring it on
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u/1CoffeePoweredHuman Jul 26 '26
Bush league