During Thursday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, Padres shortstop Jason Bartlett took a ground ball and in an attempt to do his usual side arm flip for the out at first he clipped the left hand of fellow shortstop Brendan Ryan. According to the Major League Baseball Official Rules Section 7.09 (e)
“If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. The umpire shall call the runner out for interference and also call out the batter-runner because of the action of his teammate. In no event may bases be run or runs scored because of such action by a runner.”
Throughout the 60s and 70s is was fairly common for a shortstop or second baseman to actually aim for a runner who was coming in to a slide too high trying to break up a double play. Bob Stanton, a Channel 4 Padres reporter, noted that once you got hit with a ball coming at you that fast you thought twice about sliding in high and late. Padres’ manager Buddy Black noted the next day, that there was no history between Bartlett and Ryan, it probably just happened. After the play was over the two shook it off. Ryan was fine, although a trainer did come out to inspect his left hand, and Bartlett continued on as the game ended 1-0 in the Pads favor. And just in case you were not sure that professional baseball players are really just kids who get to play the sport they love and call it work, the next day the team was already making light of the situation. During batting practice Bartlett and Jorge Cantu were fielding practice grounders at second base. In between turn Bartlett picked up the ball and wheeled towards Cantu, motioning as if he was going to take his head off with his point blank throw. Cantu ducked quickly in mock fright, but Bartlett with a smile and a laugh allowed the ball to fall harmlessly to the ground. Two grown-up boys just teasing each other and expressing their love of the game.
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