In football, coaches are allowed to defer penalties all the time. In baseball, there is ONLY ONE time a manager is allowed to make a choice on a call.
Runners on first and third, one out. Batter swings and his bat tips the catchers glove. The ball is driven to the outfield. The runner on third tags up and scores, the runner on first returns to first.
Normally this would be interference by the catcher and the runner would be awarded first base. However, this takes away the run that would have scored without the interference. So the manager of the batting team gets to decide if he wants a) bases loaded, 1 out, no runs in or b) runner on 1st, 2 outs, one run in.
If there are no outs, this doesn't apply. If there isn't a runner on first, it doesn't apply. It is a completely unique rule.
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