Hand Waving Intentional Interference on the Grass

When 2B Umpire Marvin Hudson called interference on Brewers baserunner Jackson Chourio on Christian Yelich's infield ground ball, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy argued the runner's decision to run on the infield grass is actually legal. Hudson let Murphy have his say, leaving broadcasters to piece together why interference was called...and citing some totally unrelated rules along the way.

With R1 Chourio on first base and one out, batter Yelich hit a ground ball to Cardinals 1B Willson Contreras, who threw to second base to try and force out Chourio. The ball hit Chourio and caromed into left field, drawing an interference call ("Time" and dead ball) by 2B Umpire Hudson.

Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(3) states, "Any runner is out when they intentionally interfere with a thrown ball; or hinder a fielder attempting to make a play on a batted ball."

While veering onto the grass on its own generally does not satisfy the intentionality standard of this rule, R1 Chourio's actions in raising his left arm prior to the throw's arrival suggests a proactive attempt to intentionally interfere with the throw.

Thus, R1 Chourio is out not for running on the infield grass or veering, as the broadcaster's incorrectly stated, "out of his baseline" (first, it's a base path not a baseline; and second, the base rule only applies to tag attempts: a thrown ball is not a tag attempt, and therefore the three-foot base path rule does not apply here), but for intentionally interfering with the fielder's throw, as evidenced by his actions in raising his arm prior to the throw's arrival to disrupt the defense's play.

Video as follows:
Alternate Link: Runner Chourio waved his hand into a thrown ball, sealing an interference call