Batter interference on a play at home plate
Batter interference on a play at home puts the runner out with fewer than two outs. With two outs, the batter is out and the run doesn't count. High school and Little League also want him to move if he can.
Runner on third, one out. The pitch gets by the catcher and rolls to the backstop, the runner breaks, and the pitcher sprints in to cover. And the batter is standing right there, a step out of the box with the bat in his hand, watching.
The catcher’s flip to the pitcher hits him, and the runner crosses the plate. Does the run count? Is the batter out? Is anyone?
Who’s out. This is the part that very few coaches know. When the batter interferes with a play at home, the penalty doesn’t land on the batter — it lands on the runner. With fewer than two outs, the runner trying to score is out, the ball is dead and the batter stays at the plate (that pitch still counts in the count). With two outs, the batter is out instead. That’s the third out, and the run doesn’t count.
Either way, the run comes off the board.
The interference helped the runner, so the runner pays for it. There’s an exception, though. If the defense tags the runner out anyway, the interference is ignored, because they got their out.
What counts as interference? It’s the same test as any batter interference: stepping out of the box into the play, standing on the plate, reaching for the ball, getting tangled with the catcher as he chases it, or picking up the bat while the pitcher is trying to take the throw. Intent doesn’t matter.
Under the pro rules, a batter who stays in the box and holds still usually isn’t interfering. But this is different from a throw to third. The play is at his feet, and the umpire is watching every step he takes.
High school and Little League ask for more. Both rulebooks add something the pro book doesn’t say. When there’s a throw home and the batter has time to get out of the way, he has to TRY. Standing still in the box isn’t automatically safe in those books. If the umpire thinks he could have moved and didn’t, that’s interference, and the runner is out.
The play at the plate belongs to the catcher, the pitcher and the runner.
When the ball gets away with a runner on third, I want the batter to step back, away from the plate, and take the bat with him. The on-deck hitter should come up the line and tell the runner whether to slide.
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 6.03(a)(3) and 5.09(b)(8): when the batter interferes with a play at home, the runner trying to score is out with fewer than two outs, and the batter is out with two outs, with no run. NFHS 7-3-5 and Little League 6.06(c) add that the batter must make a reasonable effort to leave a congested area when there's a throw home and he has time to move. Little League 7.08(g) matches the pro rule on who's out. USSSA builds on the pro rules. Perfect Game plays the NFHS rule.
Runner on third, one out. A wild pitch goes to the backstop. The batter steps out of the box and gets tangled up with the catcher as he chases the ball. The runner scores. What’s the ruling?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“If the ball gets by the catcher with a runner on third, the plate isn't yours anymore. Get out of there.”
Overthrow out of play: one base or two?
A pitch or a pickoff from the rubber that goes out of play is one base. A fielder's throw out of play is two, and where you count from depends on who threw it and when.
“When the throw ends up in the dugout, look at the pitcher. Was he still on the rubber?”
Who’s out when a runner passes another runner?
A runner who passes the runner ahead of him is out the moment it happens. It's the one who did the passing, not the one who got passed, and the ball stays live.
“Keep your eyes up and watch the runner in front of you. Never pass him.”
The rules quiz
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