Phillies Win on Walk-Off Catcher's Interference

A walk-off win due to catcher's interference in Philadelphia left some Boston fans perplexed as Phillies batter Edmundo Sosa's bat made contact with Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez during a 2-2 pitch, HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott announcing Replay Review's verdict over the stadium PA much to the delight of the home crowd. Because the bases were loaded at the time of the interference, all runners advanced and the tied game ended in the 10th inning.

Catcher's interference is defined more broadly as defensive interference in the Official Baseball Rules: "an act by a fielder that hinders or prevents a batter from hitting a pitch." In high school (NFHS), catcher's interference is called catcher's obstruction, as NFHS defensive interference is specifically an act that occurs prior to the pitch.

OBR 6.01(c) specifies the penalty for catcher's interference: "The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided they advance to and touches first base) when the catcher or any fielder interferes with them."

It is a rules myth that the batter must actually legitimately swing for catcher's interference to be called. For instance, catcher's interference also occurs when a catcher steps on or across home plate prior to the pitch's arrival, whether or not the batter actually swings at the pitch. Instead, catcher's interference occurs when the catcher's physical positioning (of body and/or glove/mitt) deprives the batter of the opportunity to choose whether to swing or not.

Because batter Sosa is said to have been deprived of this freedom of choice by virtue of the bat-mitt contact, the Replay Official overturned the on-field no-call and awarded the interference penalty, resulting in a walk-off win.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 093 - Quinn Wolcott (1; Bob Melvin)

HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Giants manager Bob Melvin (strike three call to Heliot Ramos; QOCN, following a Replay Review decision that overturned 2B Umpire Paul Clemons' fan interference/out call to fan int/double) in the 8th inning of the #Giants-#Diamondbacks game. With one out and none on, Giants batter Christian Koss hit a 2-0 fastball from Diamondbacks pitcher John Curtiss on a fly ball to deep left field whereupon left fielder Tim Tawa leapt in an attempt to catch the batted ball, ruled fan interference and an out by 2B Umpire Clemons and overturned to a fan interference two-base award (double) upon Replay Review as the result of a Crew Chief Review by 1B Umpire Adrian Johnson. Later, with two out and one on, Giants batter Ramos took a 1-2 fastball from Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and thigh high (px 0.94, pz 2.62), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 4-2. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 4-2.

  

This is Quinn Wolcott (81)'s 1st ejection of 2025.

This is the 93rd ejection report of the 2025 MLB regular season.

This is the 49th manager ejection of 2025. Ejection Tally: 49 Managers, 14 Coaches, 30 Players.

This is San Francisco's 3rd ejection of 2025, 2nd in the NL West (ARI 4; LAD, SF 3; COL 1).

This is Bob Melvin's 3rd ejection of 2025, 1st since May 27 (Tony Randazzo; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Quinn Wolcott's 1st ejection since April 24, 2023 (Alex Cora; QOC = Y-c [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks, 6/30/25 | Video as follows:

Trio of Plays - Close Calls and Replay Reviews

In this review, tmac looks at a trio of plays across baseball, including a line drive hit toward 3B Umpire Brian Knight on the left field foul line, a knob of the bat fair ball and challenged out call at first with umpires Quinn Wolcott & Junior Valentine, and a puzzler of a catcher's interference vs foul ball for Larry Vanover.

For Knight in Milwaukee, self-preservation comes first and the umpire jumps out of the way, initially killing play to call a foul ball before quickly convening the crew and changing the call to a fair ball, which was the proper ruling.

In Cleveland, HP Umpire Wolcott observes a batted ball off the knob of the bat as opposed to a hit-by-pitch while 1B Umpire Valentine rules on a bang-bang play at first, an out call confirmed via Replay Review.

In San Francisco, HP Umpire Vanover sees a play wherein the bat hit the catcher's mitt...but was not actually catcher's interference. Replays indicate the batter's bat, after fouling the pitch away, recoiled backward and into the catcher's mitt, rendering this a foul ball and overturned call.

Video as follows:

No-Hitter - Quinn Wolcott (Framber Valdez)

HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott called #Astros pitcher Framber Valdez's no-hitter vs the #Guardians in Houston, joined by 1B Umpire Junior Valentine, 2B Umpire Paul Clemons, and 3B Umpire and Crew Chief Adrian Johnson.

Wolcott officiated Valdez's no-hitter with a net accuracy of 97.4%.

This is Quinn Wolcott's first career MLB no-hitter.

This is the second solo no-hitter of 2023, 1st since July 5 (Edwin Moscoso; Domingo Germán's perfect game).

The UEFL f/x look:

Balls: 73 called balls outside strike zone / 3 called balls within strike zone = 73/76 = 96.1% accuracy.

Strikes: 39 called strikes within strike zone / 0 called strike outside strike zone = 39/39 = 100% accuracy.

Total Raw Accuracy Score: 112/115 = 97.4% accuracy (+1 HOU [Favored Houston by 1 pitch]).

Martinez Accuses Elly De La Cruz of Illegal Bat - Rules Recap

Nationals manager Dave Martinez accused Reds 3B Elly De La Cruz of an illegal bat prior to his first plate appearance of the game, spurring Crew Chief Adrian Johnson's call to Replay HQ and HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott's order to remove a data capture tool on the knob of the bat. De La Cruz got the last laugh, hitting a home run several innings later...while using the same bat with the knob cap back in place.

Although Official Baseball Rule 3.02 describes a legal bat (and what alterations potentially could make it illegal), OBR 6.03(a)(5) concerning batter illegal action is the meat of the illegal bat issue.

It delineates what exactly makes a bat illegal—namely, that it has been "altered or tampered with in such a way to improve the distance factor or cause an unusual reaction on the baseball. This includes bats that are filled, flat-surfaced, nailed, hollowed, grooved or covered with a substance such as paraffin, wax."

This rule imposes a penalty of declaring the batter out for the illegal bat, removing the bat from the game, and ejecting the player to boot, where the Commissioner's Office may then opt to impose additional penalties, fines, and suspensions.

OBR 6.03(a)(5) MLBUM interpretation lays out the policies for illegal bat inspections: "Each manager is limited to making this request one time per game." Thus, Davey's 2nd inning request precluded him from making another request in the 5th inning when De La Cruz returned to home plate with the data device once again on the bat.

Lindsay's Call: Finally, my issue with this entire episode is the same issue I have with managers requesting substance inspections or equipment inspections of opposing pitchers: if the manager is wrong, there is no penalty for the failed request. I would prefer MLB took a page from the NHL and adopt a failed challenge penalty akin to hockey's rule regarding failed illegal stick challenges: "If the complaint is not sustained, a bench minor penalty shall be imposed against the complaining Club."

Baseball obviously has no such "minor penalty," but that's what Rules Committee is for...

Video as follows:

Wolcott's Reverse Boycott PitCom Query & Near Perfecto

In the midst of fans' reverse boycott in Oakland, A's pitcher Hogan Harris had trouble hearing his PitchCom system due to the crowd noise. Meanwhile, HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott quietly called a near-perfect game, missing just one pitch that was located well within the buffer range, meaning that per UEFL f/x metrics, he was perfect.

Pitchers are not generally penalized when a technical malfunction of PitchCom occurs, although we have seen pitchers called for pitch clock violations for actions they have committed related to PitchCom, such as committing a balk due to odd hand movements to try and press buttons on the PitchCom or simply forgetting to place the PitchCom on their person prior to entering the game.

Thus, when Harris' PitchCom wasn't loud enough to compete with the Coliseum crowd, HP Umpire Wolcott simply allowed him time to adjust its settings without penalty, resuming the game.

Video as follows:

April 2023 Call of the Month - Quinn Wolcott

Our April 2023 Call of the Month takes us to Chicago vs Seattle, where 2B Umpire Quinn Wolcott officiates a stolen base attempt, ruling Cubs baserunner Nick Madrigal out on Mariners second baseman Kolten Wong's tag attempt.

Wolcott reads the play and sticks with the feet-first slide to rule the runner out based on a tag on the back of the runner's leg, a call confirmed via Replay Review as a result of a Cubs challenge.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 029 - Quinn Wolcott (1; Alex Cora)

3B Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Red Sox manager Alex Cora (strike three call by HP Umpire Junior Valentine; QOCY) following the top of the 9th inning of the #RedSox-#Orioles game. With one out and one on (R1), Red Sox batter Kiké Hernández took a 2-2 sinker from Orioles pitcher Yennier Cano for a called third strike. Replays indicate the the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.76, pz 2.27), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Orioles were leading, 5-4. The Orioles ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

This is Quinn Wolcott (81)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This pitch was located 1.85 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

Post-game ejections are credited to have occurred during the final inning of the game.

Related Ejection: MLB Ejection 028 - Junior Valentine (1; Peter Fatse) (4/24/23).

This is the 29th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 13th manager ejection of 2023. Ejection tally: 13 Managers, 12 Players, 4 Coaches.

This is Boston's 2nd ejection of 2023, 2nd in the AL East (BAL 3; BOS 2; NYY 1; TB, TOR 0).

This is Alex Cora's 1st ejection since August 19, 2022 (Todd Tichenor; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Quinn Wolcott's 1st ejection since Aug 19, 2021 (Joe Jimenez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles, 4/24/23 | Video as follows:

Cleveland Lost Track of the Count & Lost a Replay Review

During the 12th inning of its AL Wild Card Game 2 win against Tampa Bay, Cleveland lost a manager's challenge of 1B Umpire Quinn Wolcott's safe call on a pickoff play at first base then several outs later lost track of the count during Guardians batter Andres Gimenez's at-bat that ended in a strikeout.

Replay Review opted to rule "call stands" on Wolcott's safe call on Cleveland pitcher Enyel De Los Santos' attempted pickoff of Rays baserunner R1 Harold Ramirez, and we briefly discuss the keyhole angle issue which is quite difficult to acquire through movement during such a quickly-developing play.

As for the count—our third lost count in as many weeks—HP Umpire Adam Hamari and the scoreboard in Cleveland both appeared to have the correct count, but Gimenez appeared to mistakenly believe strike three was actually strike two and/or that it was only the second out of the inning. Perhaps it's time to give batters ball/strike indicators as well.

Video as follows:

Rays Lose Replay Review Challenge of Guardians HR Base Touch

Rays manager Kevin Cash filed an unsuccessful challenge during Game 1 of Tampa Bay's AL Wild Card Series against Cleveland, alleging that Guardians baserunner Amed Rosario failed to touch second base during teammate Jose Ramirez's home run in the 6th inning. Replay Review upheld 2B Umpire Quinn Wolcott's safe (legal touch) call.

Believe or not, there are a handful of relevant rules for this play.

Official Baseball Rule 5.06(b)(1) obligates runners to touch bases: "In advancing, a runner shall touch first, second, third and home base in order."

OBR 5.09(c)(2) authorizes defensive appeals for a runner's failure to touch their bases: "Any runner shall be called out on appeal when, with the ball in play, while advancing or returning to a base, they fail to touch each base in order before they, or a missed base, is tagged."

And OBR 5.06(b)(4) clarifies that even though OBR 5.09(c)(2) refers to "with the ball in play," bases awarded still must be touched: "The fact a runner is awarded a base or bases without liability to be put out does not relieve them of the responsibility to touch the base they are awarded and all intervening bases."

We also review the MLB Umpire Manual interpretation for past/prior as well as last time by: "If the runner retouches first and then second in advancing to the awarded base, the runner’s failure to touch second base in returning to first is “corrected” under the theory that touching the base the “last time by” corrects any previous error."

Video as follows:

Quickie - Wolcott as the Runner Turns

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo argued to no avail with 1B Umpire Quinn Wolcott after Arizona batter-runner Alek Thomas was tagged out by Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade, having turned and made a move to advance toward second base before stopping to retreat back toward first base.

Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(11) states that a runner is out when the runner: "fails to return at once to first base after overruning or oversliding that base. If they attempt to run to second, they are out when tagged."

Accordingly, U1 Wolcott determines that batter-runner Thomas briefly attempted to run to second, putting him in jeopardy of being tagged out when he failed to "return at once" to first base.

Video as follows:

Tmac's Teachables - Quinn Wolcott's Stolen Bases

In this Tmac's Teachable Moments video, we look at 2B Umpire Quinn Wolcott officiating a stolen base attempt during two separate games.

By comparing and contrasting the two plays, we see how Wolcott responds when the catcher's throw is to both sides of second base, keeping a special eye out not just for how the fielder receives the throw, but for how the runner slides into the base.

Finally, we see how Wolcott adjusts his position based on the action at second base in order to best officiate the entirety of the plays.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 141-142 - Wendelstedt, Wolcott (DET x2)

2B Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected Tigers manager AJ Hinch (Replay Review decision/catcher's interference call; QOCY) in the top of the 5th and HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Tigers pitcher Joe Jimenez (balls/strikes) in the top of the 6th inning of the #Angels-#Tigers game. In the 5th, with one out and one on (R1), Angels batter Justin Upton attempted to swing at a first-pitch sinker from Tigers pitcher Matt Manning, ruled a foul ball by HP Umpire Wolcott and overturned to catcher's interference as a result of a Manager's Challenge by Angels manager Joe Maddon. Replays indicate Upton's bat made contact with Tigers catcher Dustin Garneau's mitt as the pitch arrived at home plate, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Tigers were leading, 9-2.

In the 6th, Tigers pitcher Jimenez gave up a single to Angels batter Phil Gosselin, and walked Angels batters Jared Walsh and Upton. Replays indicate of the 11 callable pitches thrown by Jimenez, all 11 were properly officiated (100% accuracy), the call was correct. At the time of Jimenez's ejection, the Tigers were leading, 10-5. The Angels ultimately won the contest, 13-10.

This is Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s 6th ejection of 2021.

This is Quinn Wolcott (81)'s 3rd ejection of 2021.

Hunter Wendelstedt now has 19 points in the UEFL Standings (15 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 19).

Quinn Wolcott now has 12 points in the UEFL Standings (8 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 12).

Crew Chief Hunter Wendelstedt now has 11 points in Crew Division (9 Previous + 2 QOCY = 11).

These are the 141st and 142nd MLB ejection reports of 2021.

This is the 68th manager ejection of 2021.

This is the 57th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Jimenez's line was 0.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB.

This is Detroit's 1/2nd ejection of 2021, T-4th in the AL Central (CWS 6; KC, MIN 4; CLE, DET 2).

This is AJ Hinch's 1st ejection since April 3, 2019 (Ron Kulpa; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Joe Jimenez's first career MLB ejection.

This is Hunter Wendelstedt's 6th ejection of 2021, 1st since July 28 (Scott Servais; QOC = N-c [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Quinn Wolcott's 3rd ejection of 2021, 1st since June 4 (Luis Rojas; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Anaheim of Angels vs. Detroit Tigers, 8/19/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 064-65 - Quinn Wolcott (1-2; NYM x2)

HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Mets catcher James McCann and manager Luis Rojas (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the #Mets-#Padres game. With one out and one on (R1), McCann took a 1-2 cutter from Padres pitcher Mark Melancon for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and waist-high (px -0.88, pz 2.22) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Padres were leading, 2-0. The Padres ultimately won the contest, 2-0.

These are Quinn Wolcott (81)'s 1st and 2nd ejections of 2021.

Quinn Wolcott now has 8 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2*[2 MLB + 2 Correct Call] = 8).

Crew Chief Hunter Wendelstedt now has 3 points in Crew Division (1 Previous + 2 QOCY = 3).

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

This pitch was located 0.41 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

History: MLB Ejections 172-173 - Wolcott/McCann/Ausmus, September 13, 2017

These are the 64th and 65th ejection reports of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 23rd player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, McCann was 0-4 (3 SO) in the contest.

This is the 35th manager ejection of 2021.

This is New York's 3/4th ejection of 2021, T-1st in the NL East (NYM, PHI 4; MIA, WAS 2; ATL 0).

This is James McCann's 1st ejection since Sept 11, 2019 (Dan Bellino; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Luis Rojas' 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 20 (John Libka; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Quinn Wolcott's 1st ejection since October 1, 2020 (Brandon Woodruff; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Mets vs. San Diego Padres, 6/4/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection P2 - Quinn Wolcott (1; Brandon Woodruff)

HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (balls/strikes; QOCY) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the #Brewers-#Dodgers game. With one out and two on, Dodgers batter Austin Barnes took a 1-2 fastball from Woodruff for a called ball before hitting an RBI single on a subsequent pitch, after which batter Mookie Betts took consecutive sinkers from Woodruff for called first and second balls, before hitting a two-RBI double; Woodruff was ejected during a pitching change. Replays indicate that of the 12 callable pitches thrown in the bottom of the 5th inning prior to Woodruff's ejection, including the called balls to Barnes and Betts, Wolcott officiated all 12 correctly (12/12 = 100% accuracy), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Dodgers were leading, 3-0. The Dodgers ultimately won the contest, 3-0, eliminating the Brewers from the 2020 postseason.

This is Quinn Wolcott (81)'s second ejection of 2020.
Quinn Wolcott now has 11 points in the UEFL Standings (6 Prev + 3 MLB-Post + 2 Correct Call = 11).
Crew Chief Jim Reynolds now has 11 points in Crew Division (10 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 11).

*A mound visit/pitching change exemption was applied and QOC determined accordingly.

This is the 83rd ejection report of 2020 and second of the 2020 MLB postseason.

This is the 38th player ejection of 2020. Prior to ejection, Woodruff's line was 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 9 SO.

This is Milwaukee's 5th ejection of 2020, T-2nd in the NL Central (CIN 8; MIL, PIT 5; CHC 3; STL 1).

This is Brandon Woodruff's first career MLB ejection.

This is Quinn Wolcott's 2nd ejection of 2020, 1st since Sept 5 (Eric Hosmer; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 10/1/20 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 50 - Quinn Wolcott (1; Eric Hosmer)

HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Padres 1B Eric Hosmer (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Padres-#Athletics game. With one out and none on, Hosmer took a 0-2 fastball from A's pitcher Joakim Soria for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.79, pz 1.67 [sz_bot 1.78 / RAD 1.66]) and all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the A's were leading, 8-2^. The A's ultimately won the contest, 8-4.

This is Quinn Wolcott (81)'s first ejection of 2020.
Quinn Wolcott now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).
Crew Chief Adrian Johnson now has 4 points in Crew Division (3 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 4).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 1.49 horizontal and 1.15 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.
^Official Baseball Rule 8.01(d) states, "If an umpire disqualifies a player while a play is in progress, the disqualification shall not take effect until no further action is possible in that play." Accordingly, the score at the time of Hosmer's ejection is 8-2, even though he was ejected before ensuing batter Austin Nola touched home plate on his home run.

This is the 50th ejection report of the 2020 MLB regular season.
This is the 22nd player ejection of 2020. Prior to ejection, Hosmer was 0-4 (SO).
This is San Diego's 2nd ejection of 2020, T-2nd in the NL West (LAD 3; ARI, SD 2; COL 1; SF 0).
This is Eric Hosmer's 1st ejection since Sept 14, 2019 (Carlos Torres; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).
This is Quinn Wolcott's 1st ejection since June 6, 2018 (Craig Counsell; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Diego Padres vs. Oakland Athletics, 9/5/20 | Video as follows:

Injury Scout - Wolcott Out on Foul to Mask

A foul ball knocked HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott out of Thursday's Athletics-Twins game in Minnesota.

With two out and one on in the bottom of the 4th inning, Twins batter CJ Cron fouled a 93-mph 2-1 fastball from A's pitcher Mike Fiers into the jaw portion of Wolcott's traditional-style facemask; he left the game immediately thereafter.

2B Umpire Bruce Dreckman took over for Wolcott behind home plate as 1B Umpire/Crew Chief Gary Cederstrom and 3B Umpire Adrian Johnson worked the field.

Relevant Injury History: There is no recent history of head trauma for Quinn Wolcott.
Related Post: Did Detroit Throw at Umpire Wolcott? A Visual Analysis (9/14/17).

Last Game: July 18 | Return to Play: August 6 | Time Absent: 18 Days | Video as follows:

Tripp, Mike & Quinn Host All-Star Charity Golf Tourney

The fifth annual @UmpsCare All-Star Break Golf Scramble kicks off at Cedarcrest Golf Course in Marysville, Washington. Hometown umpires Tripp Gibson, Mike Muchlinski (Snohomish) and Quinn Wolcott (Tacoma) host the tournament, which fundraises for UMPS CARE Charities' Build-A-Bear Workshop experiences at children's hospitals, big league experiences, and college scholarships for adopted youth.

Said Gibson of spending part of his All-Star break on the golf course for charity, "This is something important, and we’re so passionate about what Umps Care does that we wanted to continue that through the All-Star break."

This is the fifth year of the the All-Star Break Golf Scramble at Cedarcrest, which is a program Gibson began in 2015 in his first season as a member of the MLB umpire staff: "When I got to the majors, this was something I really wanted to be a part of. I guess for me, I’m very passionate about helping our youth, teaching our youth, helping them become good citizens. Giving back is something I learned from my parents, and it’s something I always wanted to do."
Related Post: MLB Hires Tripp Gibson, Mark Ripperger, Will Little (1/11/15).

Muchlinski and Wolcott have been involved since 2017, helping to raise $25,000 for Umps Care in the event's first year open to the public. The Scramble raised $37,000 in 2018.

This year's Golf Scramble takes place the morning of MLB's All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 9.

Tmac's Teachable - Runner's Interference

In this Teachable Moment, we discuss runner's interference and the great call of both Gary Cederstrom and Quinn Wolcott during a recent Nationals game. On this play in Washington, notice the fielder has his progress impeded by the Cardinals runner from second base while within reach of a ground ball.

Today's Teachable considers interference.

This is interference and there does NOT need to be contact. This is a great call and one of the harder plays to judge in real time. When we have interference that is not intentional by a runner, the play is over. The runner is out and all other runners go back to the base they occupied on the time of pitch.

Because the interference was not a willful and deliberate act with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the batter-runner will be, by rule, placed on first. Because the batter-runner is awarded first base, R1 is forced to advance to second, and we'll continue with an added out and runners at first and second.

If this was intentional (willful and deliberate) interference, we would get two outs, but clearly it's not. The fielder has the right of way until the ball has passed him. When the fielder no longer has a play on the ball that has passed him, the runner has the right of way, which has made for some interesting plays in the past.

IMPORTANT NOTE, NFHS: High School Rule 8-4-2g differs slightly from the college/pro version in that a double play can be awarded whether or not the interference is intentional.

3B Umpire Cederstrom enforces interference.

Calling INT, like many calls, is helped by being in the right position. One thing you can do is anticipate a tag or attempt. This will help you see any potential out of the base path violation, a tag, a missed tag, or an interference/obstruction call if the fielder misses the ball.

Some plays are really tough, as evidenced by the next play in Milwaukee on another potential interference. There's contact and the fielder is also slowed by the runner. Do you have INT?  If you do, what are your mechanics? If you said point to the interference, yell, "That's Interference!" then call "Time," call R1 out, and place B/R at first, congrats: you got the call right and, uh oh.. here comes a head coach/manager.  No need to fear here's how that convo goes...

Did the runner interfere with the fielder?

Let the coach/manager talk...... He's likely asking for an explanation and this is where knowing the rules really helps. Emphasize that in your judgement the runner hindered the fielder by making contact with him as he was attempting to field a ground ball. By rule, the runner is out and batter is placed at first. If he continues try to walk away; don't engage in a protracted discussion. Also, understand if you don't call INT that you need to know the rules as well. Why don't you have INT on this play?

Here are the rules you'll want to get into:
OBR 5.09(b)(3): "Any runner is out when—He intentionally interferes with a thrown ball; or hinders a fielder attempting to make a play on a batted ball."
OBR 6.01(a)(10): "It is interference by a batter or a runner when—He fails to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball."
OBR 6.01(a)(6): "If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. The umpire shall call the runner out for interference and also call out the batter-runner because of the action of his teammate."
OBR 6.01(a) Penalty: "PENALTY FOR INTERFERENCE: The runner is out and the ball is dead."
NCAA 8-5-d: "A runner is out when—The runner interferes intentionally with a throw or thrown ball, or interferes with a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball. If a double play is likely, and the runner intentionally interferes with the fielder who is attempting to field or throw the ball, both runner and batter-runner shall be declared out."
NFHS 8-4-2g: "Any runner is out when he—intentionally interferes with a throw or a thrown ball; or he hinders a fielder on his initial attempt to field a batted ball...If, in the judgment of the umpire, a runner including the batter-runner interferes in any way and prevents a double play anywhere, two shall be declared out (the runner who interfered and the other runner involved)."

This close play at first base happened as well.

You've heard me say this a lot, but working the bases requires focus. For instance, our close "was it interference or not?" play in Milwaukee was immediately followed by a pitcher-covering-first situation, leaving a slew of questions: did the Colorado pitcher catch the ball before the runner got to the base? Did the pitcher slide his heel on the base or did he miss his tag entirely (was the ball in his glove at the time?)? If he did tag the base, where was the runner's foot at the time? And so forth.

As many of the followers of this site get ready for the second half of their HS seasons, and the upcoming summer baseball schedule make sure you expect the unexpected and then look like $1 million bucks by nailing the call. Until next time, have fun out there and happy umpiring!

Video as follows:

Respect Complaint - Martinez Grieves Randazzo's EJ

After Tony Randazzo ejected Nationals Manager Dave Martinez for arguing a strike three call Tuesday, the DC skipper complained about the MLB umpire's conduct, alleging that Randazzo unjustly ejected him because he did not leave the dugout and did not curse.

Said Martinez:

I was in the dugout, just told him, 'Hey, let's go, you've gotta be better than that.' I didn't cuss, I didn't say much other than, 'let's go,' and what really irritated me was him putting his hand up in my face, pretty much. I can tolerate a lot of things, don't do that.

The hand to which Martinez referred was Randazzo warning the Nats skipper to stop—officiating's classic stop sign maneuver, accompanied Tuesday night by Randazzo stating, "that's enough." Martinez's "in my face" comment is not a figurate statement, as Randazzo was likely 20 feet away from the Nationals dugout as he warned Martinez, but a metaphorical interpretation of an umpire's directive to stop arguing balls and strikes.

Continued Martinez:

I have a lot of respect for umpires, everybody knows that. I typically don't complain too much about them. But, him walking down towards our dugout when I'm in the dugout, I hope the league looks at that because I didn't say much to get tossed, but he felt like I said enough.

Martinez then began listing officiating decisions he took umbrage with throughout the game, then made one final logician's mistake to refute his previous claim that, "I didn't say much to get tossed."

When Martinez concluded his remarks about Tuesday's ejection, he stated, "At some point, I've got to say my piece...it was about that time." So he said his piece...but not enough to get tossed?
Related Post: MLB Ejection 023 - Tony Randazzo (1; Dave Martinez) (4/16/19).

Also in the News: Blue Jays player Freddy Galvis took to the media to complain about HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott last week: "I feel like the umpire wasn’t a professional at that point," taking issue with Wolcott's alleged conversation with opposing catcher Mike Zunino during an at-bat.

Galvis echoed Martinez's general theme of respect: "I think you have to have some respect because everybody’s trying to do their job."

Galvis said he told Toronto Manager Charlie Montoyo about the problem when he returned to the dugout, spurring Montoyo to have a conversation with Wolcott during a subsequent inning break.

Galvis said the chatty problem was gone by his third at-bat, suggesting an emerging theme of players airing grievances against umpires to the media whether or not the issue is resolved on the field of play.
Related Post: MLBUA Calls for BOC Action After Latest Umpire Abuse (9/23/18).