Quote:
Originally posted by Bfair
Authoritative opinion of J/R:
Ruling on Obstruction
When obstruction occurs, the umpire must determine immediately whether or not a play
was being made on the runner at the moment he was obstructed (review: definition of
"play," Chapter 2, p. 11). If a runner misses a base because of obstruction, an appeal of
his miss of such base cannot be upheld.
I'll stand by my first post.[/B]
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That quote from J/R helps out a lot, even though it doesn't really come directly from a rulebook.
My thought: When the defense throws the ball out of play, we still require the runner to touch/retouch all bases properly. By the same analogy, the runner should do whatever it takes (short of physically forcing the issue) to touch a base, even when obstructed. I, the umpire, will award the bases to compensate for the obstruction, of course giving the runner benefit of the doubt.
I agree, though, I hate to penalize the runner for a sequence of events originated by an illegal action by the defense.
P-Sz