A rule in baseball is that if a fielder throws his glove at and hits a batted ball (or uses his hat to catch the ball), everybody gets three bases. My question is, what is to stop an outfielder from throwing his glove at a ball in order to keep it from landing over the fence for a home run? Would the batter still only get three bases, or could the umpires rule that it should be a home run?
Baseball rules 7.05 (a): If a fielder throws his glove, cap, or any article of his apparel and it strikes a ball in flight that in the umpire’s judgment would clear the fence, the batter is given four bases and any runner/runners on base would score on the play.
The glove has to touch the ball for the penalty to take effect.
Thanks for the quick response!