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Interference

Here are many types of interference

• Offensive Interference

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     - "Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders, or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. If the umpire declares the batter, batter-runner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgment of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference, unless otherwise provided by these rules."

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER - contact is not required, nor is a throw from the defense, in order for offensive interference to be applied. 

     - Protected Fielder: 

A fielder who is making a play on a batted ball is "protected" from interference by a base runner. In other words, the fielder gets the right-of-way in cases where a base runner converges on a fielder who is making a play on a batted ball. The fielder's protection begins the moment the ball is put in play and the fielder goes in motion to make a play on the ball. The protection continues until the fielder makes a play or makes a throw after fielding the ball. From beginning to end of this sequence, the fielder has the right of way and runners must avoid impeding the fielder.

The rules protect only one fielder. Just one. In cases where two or more fielders are in motion on a batted ball, the umpire has to decide which fielder is best able to make the play. That's the protected fielder. If a base runner impedes this fielder, you have interference. However, if a base runner collides with any fielder other than the protected fielder, then you have obstruction on the fielder, not interference on the runner.

     - Example: 

Say you have a batter who hits a slow-roller up the first base line. Both the pitcher and the first baseman are closing on the ball. Let's say the pitcher has the best chance at the ball, so in the umpire's mind the pitcher is the protected fielder. The batter-runner runs inside the baseline and in the process collides with the pitcher. What do we have? Interference? Train wreck (nothing)? Obstruction?

Here's the bottom line:

          - If the protected fielder (P) and base runner come together in such a way that the fielder is hindered or impeded, you have interference on the base runner.

          - If an un-protected fielder (1B) and base runner come together in such a way that the base runner is hindered or impeded, you probably have obstruction on the fielder.

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• Defensive (catcher) Interference

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Catcher's interference

The definition of defensive interference is very simple – just 18 words: "Defensive interference is an act by a fielder which hinders or prevents a batter from hitting a pitch."

The rule specifies "fielder" but in reality the catcher is the culprit in 99.9% of cases, which is why it's known as catcher's interference. That said, there is one edge case in which another fielder could possibly "hinder or prevent" a batter from hitting a pitch – that's when an infielder charges on a bunt attempt, but charges so aggressively that he somehow contacts the bat during the attempt, or conceivably the pitched ball before it arrives at the bat. But it's hard to picture this.

By far the most common scenario in which you have catcher's interference is the catcher placing his mitt such that it touches the bat during a batter's offer at a pitch. Sometimes the bat only glances the mitt and the batter puts the ball in play. Sometimes the bat hits the mitt solidly (sometimes injuring the catcher).

If the ball is put in play, you have a delayed dead ball. Let the play continue, then call time when the play is complete. We explain in the next section how to handle this. If, on the other hand, the ball is not put in play (either swing and miss, or foul ball), just call time and enforce the penalty. We'll look at both of these scenarios, plus a wrinkle in the rule that comes into play if there's a base runner stealing when the interference occurs.
 

Ball put in play: delayed dead ball

If you see catcher's interference and yet the ball is put in play, don't kill the ball. Allow action to continue. Once all action on the play has concluded, call time. At this point the team manager has the option of accepting the result of the play, OR, accepting the penalty. If the batter was put out on the play, he's probably going to accept the penalty. But not necessarily.

Take this scenario, for example. Say there are no outs and a non-forced runner on third (R3) scores on the play. The manager might want to overlook the interference and accept the out at first in order to get the run. Otherwise, if the manager decides to accept the penalty instead of the play, then R3 would have to return to third base and the run would come off the board. Again, this is manager's option.
 

Ball not in play: dead ball (slightly delayed)

If the ball was not put in play, there are no options. Just kill the ball, vocalize the infraction, and send the batter to first base. Other runners advance if forced. However, there's one big exception, so pause for a moment before you kill the ball to ensure you're not stepping on the exception.
 

A wrinkle: Base runner stealing when the interference occurs

Rule 5.06(b)(3)(D) adds a wrinkle to catcher's interference. If a runner is attempting to steal on a play in which catcher's interference occurs, the runner gets the base to which they stealing and the batter is awarded first base on the interference. Note that if the batter has put the ball in play and reaches first base safely, and all base runner advance at least one base safely, the interference is waved off.
 

The catcher's balk

I'm adding this information about the catcher's balk because it seems logical to group all of these infractions by a catcher together. There are two ways that a catcher's actions can cause you to call a balk (or illegal pitch with no runners on base).

Rule 6.01(g). If a runner on third base (R3) is trying to score by means of a squeeze play or steal, and the catcher or any other fielder steps in front of home base without possession of the ball, or touches the batter or the bat, the catcher is cited for the defensive interference, and the pitcher is charged with a balk ("catcher's balk"). The batter is awarded first base on the interference ("catcher's interference") and the ball is dead.

Note that this ruling applies only in this special case of a runner attempting to steal home. You see this now and then. The pitcher starts his delivery, but the catcher becomes aware that R3 is attempting to steal home, so the catcher tries to rush and in doing so steps in front of the batter to more quickly get the ball. That's interference.

The upshot here is that if the catcher commits defensive interference when a runner from third is stealing home, you don't have any manager options. Instead, you have this:

• Call time, killing the ball; verbalize the interference and call the balk;

• Award the batter first base on the catcher's interference;

• Award the runner from third home on the balk (if he was put out at home, nullify the out and score the run); and

• If there are other runners on base, award them one base on the balk.
   

When giving intentional base on balls

And finally, Rule 5.02(a). If a catcher leaves the catcher's box before the pitcher delivers the pitch (as when giving an intentional walk), the pitcher shall be charged with a balk (with runners on base), or with no runners on, an illegal pitch (ball to the batter). (As leagues, including MLB, increasingly move to not requiring the throwing of four pitches to intentionally walk a batter, this rule is slowly becoming archaic.)

The truth is, I've never seen this enforced. Umpires (even in pro ball) appear to give a lot of leeway. In youth ball you sometimes see a catcher set up way outside the catcher's box for an intentional walk; in that case, just instruct the catcher to get back where he belongs.

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• Umpire Interference

Despite its having six rules references, umpire interference is pretty straightforward, having just three scenarios:

1. If an umpire on the bases is touched by a batted ball before the ball touches or passes an infielder (except the pitcher – just ignore the pitcher for now), you have umpire interference. In general, we're talking about the umpire getting hit while positioned in the infield.
    

2. If an umpire on the bases is touched by a batted ball after the ball touches or passes an infielder (again, except the pitcher) you have nothing – live ball, play on. In this case, the umpire is positioned behind the infielders.
    

3. If the plate umpire impedes the catcher's throw to attempt to retire a runner advancing, you have another flavor of umpire interference. This normally occurs with a runner stealing, or advancing on a wild pitch or passed ball.

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The umpire will handle each of these cases differently.

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1. Umpire touched by batted ball before passing infielder

In the case where an umpire is touched by a batted ball before the ball touches or passes an infielder, call interference on yourself immediately. Call "Time! That's interference!"

• Award the batter-runner first base.

• Other runners advance if forced. (Your partner is laughing by now. Do what you can to recover your dignity and move on.)

Important: If the ball touches the pitcher before touching the umpire in this scenario, then you do not have umpire interference. Live ball. Play on.

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2. Umpire touched by batted ball after passing infielder

In the second case, where an umpire is touched by a batted ball after it has passed or was touched by an infielder (again, not the pitcher), do nothing. This is a live ball. Play on.

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3. Plate umpire impedes catcher's throw

If you are the plate umpire and, on a steal, you inadvertently bump the catcher or otherwise impede his ability to make a play on the runner, call "Time! That's interference."

• The ball is dead.

• Any runners moving on the play must return to their original base. (Your partner is laughing on this one, too.)

 

In all other situations where an umpire inadvertently contacts a base runner, a defensive player, or the ball itself, you have nothing. Live ball. 

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• Batter Interference

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There are three ways a batter can commit batter's interference. He can interfere with the catcher making a throw to retire a runner in the act of stealing a base. Second, he can interfere with a runner who is stealing home. Sometimes these two overlap. Finally, he can commit backswing interference (also called "weak interference"). This happens when the batter swings and, on the follow through, his bat hits the catcher or the catcher's glove. Each of the three case is handled differently, so we'll take them one at a time.

1. Interfere with a catcher's throw

2. Interfere with a play at the plate

3. Backswing interference

 

Interfere with a catcher's throw

When a base runner is stealing and the catcher comes up quickly with a throw to attempt to retire the runner, the batter cannot in any way impede the catcher's effort – either intentionally or unintentionally. If he does, then the batter is out, the ball is dead, and all runners must return to their time-of-pitch base.

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NOTE: The batter's box is NOT a safe haven - if the batter makes a movement that hinders the catcher, even if he is in the box, the batter is liable for interference. 

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The most common steal-and-throw scenario is a runner stealing second on a pitch (as opposed to a passed ball or wild pitch). You'll also see this on a steal of third base. So on a steal of second base, you don't often have interference because the catcher has a clear line of sight to second base.

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But sometimes you do – for example, when the batter's swing pulls him off balance and he steps onto or across the plate. If there is a runner stealing second when this happens, you can very easily have batter's interference. When stepping over the plate, the batter can easily bump or otherwise impede that catcher's attempt to throw down to second. That's interference.

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Note: If you see batter's interference, but the catcher gets the throw off anyway and succeeds in retiring the runner, then ignore the interference. By Rule 6.03(a)(3), if the catcher retires the runner, then, in effect, the interference never happened. On such a play, then, if other runners were also stealing when the interference is waved off, they get to remain at the base they stole.

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We said a moment ago that most of the time the steal is of second base. But not always. Sometimes you get a base runner stealing third, and this is the case where you really need to watch for batter's interference. That's because the throw to third often requires the catcher to throw across the right-handed batter's box. And that's where the batter is standing (if he's right-handed). And you can't expect the batter to simply disappear.

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Now, this gets a little bit tricky. There is a common misconception that if a batter remains in the batter's box he cannot be called out for interference. This is not true. The batter's box is not a safe haven. But, as we said, he can't be expected to disappear, either. Add to this that a play on a steal of third happens so friggin' fast that the batter may not even know a play is on until the ball goes whizzing by.

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And let's not forget about snap throws down to first base to catch a runner leading off too aggressively, or who may not be paying attention (yep, sometimes they catch runners sleeping). You have the same issue here as you do with throws to third, but instead it's with left-handed batters.

So, with all of this fuzzy grey zone, what's an umpire to do? Well, the wording of 6.03(a)(3) is important here: The batter is out if he "… interferes with the catcher's fielding or throwing by stepping out of the batter's box or making any other movement that hinders the catcher's play at home base." As directives go, you can't get much broader than "any other movement." Batter beware.

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The emphasis is important because "any other movement" covers a lot of ground. A lot. So the message is, give the balance of judgment to the catcher. Sometimes a bad throw is just a bad throw and you have nothing. But if the catcher's throw gets disrupted in any way, regardless of intent, the umpire has to call it.

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But again (for the third time), the umpire can't expect the batter to simply disappear. He has to watch and judge for yourself whether the batter made "any other movement" that hindered the catcher in any way. This is a judgment call, of course. Generally (generally), if the batter remains still in the batter's box and makes no movement, then he is protected from interference. If it were me, though, I'd duck. But that's just me.

 

Here's where it gets even more tricky. The batter's interference play that I believe causes the most arguments is not on a straight-up steal. Instead, it's when the catcher mishandles a pitch (or is handling a wild pitch) with runner on base. The ball is on the ground and runners are in motions and the catcher is diving or grabbing for the ball; at the same time the batter is dancing out of the way while trying to avoid interfering, and in doing so he instead interferes. That's interference. "But I was trying to get out of the way," the batter protests. You're breaking my heart, son. You're out.

 

2 - Interfere with a play at the plate

When a runner attempts to steal home, the batter has to make an effort to get out of the way of the play at the plate. This can be tricky if the runner is stealing on the pitch, as with a suicide squeeze (which is rare, but it does happen). A play like this happens very quickly and even you, the umpire, probably don't realize what's happening until split seconds before it blows up right in front of you.

More commonly, interference with a play at the plate happens when there is a runner on third (R3) and then there's a passed ball or wild pitch and R3 tries to score. You have the catcher scrambling for the ball, the pitcher running in to cover the plate, and you have R3 barrelling toward home. Get position and watch like a hawk.

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You have a similar situation on a sacrifice double-steal. That is, with fewer than two outs and with runners on first and third (R1 and R3), R1 will sacrifice himself on a lame attempt to steal second just to draw a throw so that R3 can then steal home. You don't see this too much at higher levels (16U and above) because the fielders are good enough to defeat the play with fast, accurate throws. But at younger levels you see this all the time. Again, watch this one carefully because frequently the defensive will fake the throw to second but instead hit a cutoff fielder, who then makes a play on R3 at home.

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Important: When you call batter's interference on a play at the plate, who do you call out, the batter or the runner? The answer is it depends. If there are fewer than two outs, you call the runner out. With two outs, however, you call the batter out. Why is this? Because with two outs, if you call the runner out (to end the inning), then the batter is entitled to return as the first batter in the next inning – in effect, rewarding the batter for interference. In any event, no run scores.

 

3 - Backswing interference

When a batter swings at a pitch and the momentum of his swing brings the bat around and hits the catcher, or more commonly, the catcher's mitt, this is backswing interference. It's sometimes referred to as "weak interference." When backswing interference happens, you must kill the ball ("Time!") and return runners (if any are in motion) to their time-of-pitch base. However, no one is called out.

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Rules Variation:  High school (NFHS) rules differ on this point. NHFS rule 7-3-5c penalizes backswing interference (FED uses the term "follow-through interference") when it interferes with a catcher's attempt to retire a base runner. See NHFS rule 7-3-5-Penalty for more information.

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NFHS PENALTY: When there are two outs, the batter is out. When there are not two outs and the runner is advancing to home plate, if the runner is tagged out, the ball remains live and interference is ignored. Otherwise, the ball is dead, and the runner is called out. When an attempt to put out a runner at any other base is unsuccessful, the batter is out and all runners must return to bases occupied at the time of the pitch. If the pitch is a third strike and in the umpire’s judgment interference prevents a possible double play (additional outs), two may be ruled out (8-4-2g).

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• Spectator Interference

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Spectator interference occurs when any person not affiliated with the game in progress (player, coach, or umpire) impedes in any way the conduct of the game on the field of play. Spectator interference is spelled out in Definitions (interference(d)):

Spectator interference occurs when a spectator reaches out of the stands and over the playing field, or goes on the playing field, and (1) touches a live ball or (2) touches a player and hinders an attempt to make a play on a live ball

6.01(e) describes how the umpire should handle spectator interference. As you might expect, the ball is immediately dead. Then, "the umpire shall impose such penalties as in the umpire's opinion will nullify the act of interference."

This could (but will not necessarily) result in calling a batter out. An "approved ruling" on 6.01(e) stipulates that "If a spectator clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball, the umpire shall declare the batter out."

Most commonly, it's the defense, not the offense, that is disadvantaged by spectator interference, typically when a fan reaches out over the field to catch or touch a live ball. In this situation, the umpire should place the runner at a base that, in his judgment, the runner would have achieved had the spectator interference not occurred.

Here are a few more important points about spectator interference that you'll find in a lengthy comment on 6.01(e):

• If a ball is hit into a spectator area (out of play), then bounces back into the field of play, this is not spectatator interference, but simply a dead ball out of play.
   

• Any person reaching out of the stands or otherwise over the field of play is intentionally interfering, as described in 6.01(e); batter and runners shall be placed as per umpire's judgment to nullify the interference.
   

• However, if it is the fielder who "reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball," there shall be no interference. While a fielder is allowed to reach into dead ball territory to make a catch, he does so at his peril because if he is impeded by actions of spectators over dead ball territory, he's out of luck.
   

• If, on the other hand, a spectator reaches out of the stands (rope, railing, etc.) into live ball territory and prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball, "the batsman should be called out for spectator's interference."

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