Play 1: R2. B1's hard grounder is muffed by the shortstop, who has charged into the base path. As F6 reaches down to pick up the ball, R2 (not maliciously) crashes into the fielder. All hands are safe. The umpire judges the runner could have avoided the contact.
Play 2: R2. B1's smash to short deflects off the fielder's glove. He chases the ball into the base path where R2 (not maliciously) crashes into him. All hands are safe. The umpire judges the runner could have avoided the contact.
Play 3: R2. B1's smash up the middle is deflected by the pitcher. As the shortstop races for the ball in the base path, R2 (not maliciously) crashes into the fielder. All hands are safe. The umpire judges the runner had little or no chance to avoid contact.
Rulings:
Some general principles will help us understand these not uncommon plays.
A. A runner must avoid a fielder making a play on a batted ball., even if the fielder is in the runner's legal base path.
B. If a fielder muffs a batted ball, sometimes the runner is still required to avoid contact; sometimes, not.
C. If a fielder attempts to field a deflected ball, sometimes the runner is still required to avoid contact; sometimes, not.
In Play 1, the fielder is still making the first play on a batted ball that is within his reach.
Continued...
Please sign in to read the rest of this article:
