Quote:
Originally posted by Jim Porter
PLAY: The batter smacks the ball down into the soft dirt, and it dribbles slowly up the first baseline. The batter is off with contact, and the catcher is close on his heels. The BR avoids contact with the ball as he passes it, while F2 follows closely behind the BR. As F2 reaches down to glove the ball, the BR's heel hits F2's glove during the BR's back-stride, and the tripped BR falls flat on his face. F2 picks up the ball and tags the BR, who's still lying in a heap on the ground.
Your call?
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That's OBSTRUCTION, the ball is dead and the BR is awarded 1st base.
According to OBR 7.09(L)Comment, contact between the catcher and the batter-runner in such circumstances would normally need to be both "flagrant and violent" for a call of obstruction. The following JEA play and ruling indicates that any trip from behind by the catcher on the batter-runner should be considered "flagrant and violent", despite the incidental nature of the contact or the catcher's intent.
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PLAY: The batter tops a ball down the first base line. The batter is advancing toward first base while the catcher comes up from behind to field the fair ball. The catcher inadvertently trips the batter...retrieves the ball...and tags the fallen batter-runner. What's the call?
RULING: When the batter-runner is tripped from behind...obstruction should be called. The batter-runner is awarded first base."
Equally, it would have been ruled interference if the batter-runner had instead collided with the catcher from behind, the batter-runner would then be out and the ball dead.
Cheers,