Umpire school

The situation:

An outfielder crashes into the wall while trying to catch a fly ball and loses track of the ball after it bounces away. At that moment, a fan throws a baseball onto the field, near the ball in play. The outfielder picks up the fan's ball, thinking it is the game ball, and throws it to third base, where the batter is tagged out. Should the out stand?

The call:

Yes, depending on the umpire's judgment. Rule 3.16 says that when a spectator interferes with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be ruled dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties that, in his judgment, nullify the interference. The game ball was dead after the fan's ball landed on the field, and the fan's ball never was in play. If, in the umpire's judgment, the outfielder, after fielding the game ball rather than the fan's ball, would have thrown the runner out at third, then the runner is out.

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