what the hell was my guy supposed to do here?

Let’s put it this way, if that’s the right call, I’m hitting every batter in the back of the helmet if I’m a catcher

Seriously though. He’s in the box where he has the right to be!

Horseshit umpiring

@daddutroub Bad call. He didn't move out of the batter's box and over home plate. He didn't make a movement to interfere with the catcher's throw. Live ball

He was at the end of his damn swing.

Feels intentional. Was he throwing to right field?

Ump had money on cincy, no other way to explain it 😂

I would be pitching in on that catcher at his next at bat.

Lots of wrong answers all around here This is NCAA not MLB, so different rule. In MLB batter box does NOT offer protection, NCAA it does Intent doesn't matter in either rulebook Batter swung for strike 3 so he is already out; runners return to base w 2 outs

That throw was going into right center lol

Kind of looks like he did that on purpose, he was still in the batter's box and that ball was headed to right field if his head wasn't in the way. I think the catcher knew the rule and abused it here.

So what I’m learning from the comments is if a runner gets a good jump on you as a catcher just blast the batter in the back of the head with the ball for an easy out

Perfectly called. Everyone saying otherwise in these comments are same ones arguing that they are already driving the speed limit in the passing lane therefore shouldn't have to move to the right.

The rule is clear. If a batter moves at all to obstruct the throw from the catcher, then the runner is out. But if the batter is in the batters box and makes no movement, then the catcher must avoid the batter. In this case, the batters head and body never move and he is in the batters box. So runner is safe.

So many people are confidently wrong in these replies.

Umpires missed this shit completely. Guy has right to his box

That’s a wrong call. The batter has a right to be in the box. I’d hit by the throw out of the box it’s interference. If he’s in the box at the end of his regular swing the catcher has to move around him. He has every right to be where he is. Bad call !!!

That looked intentional by the catcher. Cheap way to get an out

That’s a bad call. No sign he intentionally interfered and he was in the box.

That wasn't a throw to 2nd, that was a throw to the helmet of the batter.

This call does not pass the sensible metric. It is the catcher's job to dodge the batter in this case. Now the catchers all know they just need to throw the ball at the batter to ensure the baserunner is called out.

This actually could have caused a catastrophic injury.

That’s a live ball. Batter is still in the box and not intentionally trying to impede the throw. Bad call

Note to self. Anytime someone tries to steal 2nd all the catcher has to do is smack the batter in the back of the head with the ball and it’s an out.

Catcher did that on purpose. Maybe to the letter of the rule it’s the right call. There’s no way in hell catcher was attempting to throw out the runner. Catcher knew the base was stolen, made a bush league play to get interference call and the umps fell for it.

That’s a bs rule. It’s not a batters job to do anything but be in the box.

I would have turned around and given the catcher a right hook!

I thought the rule was as long as you were in the batter’s box it couldn’t be batter interference. Am I wrong on the understanding of this rule?

So from now on the catcher should just hit the batter in the box instead of having to complete the throw to second. Stupid Rule!

Hitting the ball would have helped

He’s in the box. Umpires messed that one up.

I mean.... if youre gonna just dilly dally around like that 🤷‍♂️

No, he has the absolute right to stand exactly where he was. The catcher had to have purposefully thrown it at his head, otherwise this would literally happen every single steal attempt

In review the catcher wasn’t even trying to throw it to second, he pegged him dead center of the head, that throw would have gone right at second baseman playing position

Ump was ready to go home