BASEBALL RULES OF INTEREST, CONT. Interference and Obstruction: Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. If the umpire declares the batter, batter-runner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgment of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference. In the event the batter-runner has not reached first base, all runners shall return to the base last occupied at the time of the pitch. Obstruction is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner. Contact between the runner and fielder is not necesary to meet the definition. If a runner must slow down or alter his path to avoid a fielder who is not in possession of the ball or in the act of fielding, he has been obstructed. The umpire will award the runner the base to which the umpire believes he would have reached had he not been obstructed. Magic Number: Compute the number of games remaining, add one, then subtract the num-ber of games ahead in the loss column of the closest opponent. This is the number of wins a team must have to secure the pennant. Night Game: Any game scheduled to start after 5:00 pm (i.e.5:01 pm) will be considered a night game. If a game is scheduled to start before 5:00 pm and is delayed for any reason, it shall be considered a day game. On-Base Percentage: Add the total number of hits, walks, and hit-by-pitch and divide by the total number of at-bats, walks, hit-by pitches, and sacrifice flies. Player Eligibility: There are no age restrictions on player eligibility in the Midwest League, however, no more than two players on a team’s active list may have five or more years of prior service. A player shall be credited with one year of minor league service for each sea-son he was active or on the Disabled List of a minor league club for at least 30 days. Qualifying Marks: To qualify for the league batting championship, a player must have a minimum of 378 plate appearances. To qualify for the ERA title, a pitcher must have at least 112 innings pitched. Saves Rule: One save per game may be credited to a team. Credit a pitcher with a save when he meets all three of the following criteria: 1) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his club; and 2) He is not the winning pitcher; and 3) He qualifies under one of the following conditions: a) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least Midwest League 2015 17 one inning; or b) He enters the game with the potential tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck; or c) He pitches effectively for at least three innings. A “blown save” occurs when a pitcher who has entered a game in a save situation departs with the save situation no longer in effect because he has given up the lead. If the save situ-ation still exists when he leaves the game, he is not charged with a save opportunity. If he has not given up the lead when he leaves the game, even though the save situation may no longer exist, he is not charged with a save opportunity.
Midwest League Media Guide 2015
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