High school rules, including the safety rule known as “Slide or Avoid”.
Runner on first with one out. Ball is hit sharply up the middle to the shortstop. SS fields the ball, steps on second and throws towards first. The runner coming from first is not a fast runner and is only about half way to second when the SS makes the throw towards first. The throw hits the runner in the ribs and bounces away and out of play into foul territory off the first base line.
The initial call by the umpire is that the runner is out on the force at second and the batter (running to first) is safe at first and then awarded second base due to the throw going out of play.
The defensive team appeals to the umpire stating that the runner did not “slide or avoid” and hence has interfered with the defensive teams opportunity to make the double play. The offensive team argues that the slide or avoid rule is specifically intended as a safety rule going into a base so there are no standing up collisions at second base or home plate. The runner has to “slide in the base” or “avoid the collision”. They also argue that a runner halfway between first and second can neither slide into the bae nor avoid a collision since there isn’t a base nor a collision to avoid.
The umpire rules in favor of the defensive team, calls both runners out saying the runner from first did indeed interfere by not sliding nor avoiding.
That’s total garbage. The “slide or avoid” rule doesn’t seem to have any bearing on a baserunner being hit by a throw (probably haplessly) in the middle of the basepath.
My fiance is an Umpire and has been for about 12 years. We had this happen last week only at home plate, and what the umpire did in your situation was correct. Of course, the team argued the call and my fiance brought his rule book out, looked it up, showed them, and ended up throwing the coach out for screaming in his face that he sucked, to put it mildly.
Why is this the wron forum? I’ve seen numerous umpire type questions in the general question section, along with other sports type questions. Where does it belong if not here? Thanks!
B
My experience is from long ago and may not be reliable. But in that distant past, the “slide or avoid” rule was taken to pertain to runner/fielder collisions, not runner/ball collisions.
In the example cited by the OP, the ruling would depend on whether the runner deviated outside the basepath to block the throw. If he was hit by the throw while in a place he was entitled to be, it is not interference.
Baseball rules are subjective? What is this world coming to?
Here’s a webpage that discusses slide or avoid rulings. Notice the two examples given in “Play 5: R1 moving on the pitch. B1 hits to the shortstop, who shovels the ball to F4. F4 throws to first, and the ball hits R1 in the helmet. At the time R1 was: (a) six to eight feet from the bag; or (b) twenty to twenty five feet from the bag. Ruling: Interference in (a) but not in (b).”
So, possibly, the umpire judged that the runner was closer to second than just half way.
Foul territory is not out of play. In the dugout yes…but not just foul territory. The runner is allowed the basepath. Both runners would be safe. IIRC the only time a runner is out if hit by the ball, not including intentional interference, is by a hit ball.
