P's UPDATE", a program to update common knowledge in the baseball world, is now available on YouTube, the official YouTube channel of PERSOL Pacific League TV. The theme of the June 25 (Wednesday) broadcast was "interference". Guests were former NPB umpire member Ryo Sakai Taro, Chiba Lotte OB Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and Yoshihisa Naruse, and they delved deep into the rules.
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interference There are many examples of the interference by hitter runner rule, but I'd like to introduce a play from this season's May 17 game between Fukuoka Softbank and Tohoku Rakuten, in which throw first baseman handled a ground ball with one out and three on, and hit hitter. Here hitter runner was running inside the foul line, but it was not interference and the score was allowed.
The problem here is the three foot lane rule. A similar situation that would be interference is when throw to first base hits hitter runner. Nishioka-san was out on a similar interference in 2014 at the Japan Series stage. So what is the difference between these two plays?
Sakai explained that this rule is "only a rule for interference against defense to first base," and that "as for throw to home base, even if it hits inside, it is in play. Of course, he said, if the hit is deliberate, it is interference, but going somewhat inside is not taken as interference.
Three-foot lanes are based on the foul line in Japan, but this rule has been relaxed in MLB, and from 2024, players can run inside as far as the grass. When Sakai said that Nishioka's play "probably would not have been interference if it had been this year's MLB," Nishioka said, "That was a divine play, and I was 10 years ahead of the game.
P's UPDATE" is available on the official YouTube channel of Persol Pacific League TV and Persol Pacific League TV.
Broadcast program "P's UPDATE"
#10 『interference』
MC: Satoshi Kamiju Guests: Ryo Sakai, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Yoshihisa Naruse
#11 "Infield Fly"
MC: Satoshi Kamiju Guests: Ryo Sakai Sakai, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Shohei Tateyama
#12 "mound" *Scheduled for release on July 5th
MC: Satoshi Kamiju Guests: Yoshihisa Naruse, Shohei Tateyama
