by tcannizzo » Mon May 02, 2011 1:24 pm
A couple of things would certainly be appropriate here.
a.) appeal/attempt to fix
b.) a smarter defense
The attempt to fix is going to be touchy, whether by the field crew or the UIC.
One might be inclined to keep the batter out since the umpire judgement could be that the fly ball would have been caught. Rule of thumb is that we cannot assume the out; which would place BR on 1B.
The ones who made the bigger mistake here is the defense. Why in the world would you allow a ball to drop with a runner on 3B???????? Even if the IFF was in effect, by catching the fly ball, you have an opportunity for a live ball appeal getting a runner who is napping off base. AND with IFF having been called, the runners know they CAN hold their leads and take off for opportunity to score with the ball just laying on the ground.
Tony Cannizzo
Umpire
"May all the close calls go your way"