Catcher's Interference On A Late Swing
A Baseball Fan from The Baseball Field asks:
Does catcher interference apply if the batter swings late and reaches backwards toward the catcher and hits his glove. The catcher caught the ball but his glove was hit on a late swing that reached back into him and never moved forward. The umpire ruled catcher interference but if that was the right call then every time a ball goes by the batter he could just reach back and hit the catcher’s glove. The catcher did not reach and was in his normal position behind the plate.
First, I would have to see what happened. If it was (in the umpire’s judgement) intentional then there would definitely be NO catcher’s interference, and actually, a case for batter’s interference. If not batter’s interference, a strong warning to both the batter and his coach. Not counting that the pitch would be a strike. However, if the batter was a little late, and hit the glove, that would be catcher’s interference. Usually you find this call when runners are stealing, and the catcher is a little too quick to get to the ball. The way the question is asked, it appears that the catcher did not interfere, but again, I would have to see what actually happened.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
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