THREE-FOOT LANE

THE THREE-FOOT LANE

(RUNNER'S LANE)

RULE 5.09(a)(11) – A batter is out when… In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line and on the infield grass, and in the umpire’s judgment in so doing interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead; except that he may run outside (to the right of) the three-foot line or inside (to the left of) the foul line and on the infield grass to avoid a fielder attempting to field a batted ball;

RULE 5.09(a)(11) Comment: The chalk lines marking the three-foot lane are a part of that lane and a batter-runner is required to have both feet within the three-foot lane, on the lines marking the lane, or on the dirt inside (to the left of) the foul line in running the last half of the distance from home base to first base. The umpire will determine that the batter-runner complied with Rule 5.09(a)(11) if the batter had both feet within the three-foot lane, or on the lines marking the lane, or on the dirt inside of the foul line (A) after reaching the last half of the distance from home base to first base, or (B) after the ball is released by a fielder in a throw to first base, whichever is later.

MLB's 2024 OBR RULE CHANGE

DIRT=GOOD, GRASS=BAD

This has always been a breeding ground of chaos, so MLB has taken action to simplify (and widen) the runner's lane.

PURPOSE OF THE RULE: It gives the defense the chance to make a play on the batter-runner headed to first. Without this rule, the lead-off batter of every half-inning would just drop down a bunt and then run in the path of the throw coming from behind them, and your lead-off runner is now on base safely. It’s a necessary rule to have in place. An important thing to remember here is that the ball does not have to make contact with the runner. The umpires simply need to determine that the runner being outside of the lane affected an attempt at fielding the throw at first base.

The new rule led to a pretty boring 2024 MLB season in terms of the runner's lane. However, many baseball fields in lower levels do not have grass and dirt cutouts, so the "old" runner's lane rule still applies. The batter-runner headed to first can have his feet on the chalk but can go no further into fair territory. This is something to mention at ground rules. Below are videos discussing the "old" runner's lane.

SITUATION: Batter hits a dead chopper in front of the plate and takes off for first. The pitcher fields the ball, throws toward first base, and the ball hits the runner outside of the running lane. Batter-runner is out for interference.

COMMENTS: An example for this rule does not come any cleaner than this. As you’ll notice in a lot of these videos, the umpires will make the correct call, and a manager will come out, argue the call, and eventually get ejected. The only argument the Toronto manager has here is that his runner was in the immediate vicinity of the base and was going for the base, but he had been running outside the three-foot lane the entire way up the line.

SITUATION: Another dead chopper. Runner is running outside of the running lane. The catcher picks up the ball and makes an errant throw to first base. Umpire rules interference, and the batter-runner is declared out.

COMMENTS: This one isn’t as clear-cut. A couple of things to note: a batter-runner can’t interfere with the first-baseman receiving the ball if the throw is offline to begin with. The first-baseman really sold this call to the umpire, though, by acting as if the runner completely shielded his view of the throw. And it all comes down to the judgment of the umpire. In this case, the umpire felt the runner’s position outside the running lane interfered with the first-baseman’s attempt to field the throw. If you flip the script and the interference is not called here, the Orioles manager would definitely come out and argue for the interference. Also, these announcers are really clueless about the rules regarding the three-foot lane. They claim he’s going for the base while he’s still four strides away from the base. Anyway, these kind of plays are just train wrecks.

SITUATION: Runner at second base. One out. A dead chopper makes its way down first-base line as the pitcher scrambles to field the ball. The batter-runner is running outside of the three-foot lane in fair territory. The pitcher hurriedly fields the ball and makes an errant throw to first base. The umpires judge that the runner’s position did not affect the fielding of the throw at first base.

COMMENTS: The more you look at this play, the more you realize the umpires made the correct call here. The pitcher is hurriedly fielding the ball and attempts a throw to first base as soon as possible. In doing so, he commits an error and the ball sails on him. The difference between this play and the play in video #2 is all about the umpire’s judgment. This was such an errant throw that the umpires determined the runner did not affect the fielder’s attempt to field it. You should also be picking up a trend here that the Yankees announcers are pretty much clueless in regard to the finer points of the rulebook. Joe Girardi was a catcher for years, so he knows all about the three-foot lane and really wants this call. At the end of the video, the Plate Umpire signals a "P" to the scorekeeper, indicating Joe Girardi is playing the rest of the game under protest. This protest was going nowhere since this is a judgment call by the umpires, not a misinterpretation of rules.

TIPS FOR UMPIRES

This is an immediate dead-ball situation and no runners may advance on the play.
When making the call, the proper mechanic is to say, "Time! That's interference!" Point at the batter-runner and declare him out. Return all runners to their bases occupied at the time of the pitch.
It's important to remember that both feet must be in the lane and the batter-runner must be in the lane legally up until he's allowed to exit in the vicinity of first base. A foot on the line is considered in the lane.
The quality of the throw has a big impact on an umpire's decision as to whether or not interference should be called. If the fielder attempts to throw over or around the runner and makes an errant throw, you need to determine if the fielder at first base could have made the catch. If you feel the throw was not catchable, then you probably should not call interference.

Google Sites

Report abuse