[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by mbyron
I agree with Pete's diagnosis. This is clearly HTBT, but based on grey's description I think I would go with Pete's option B and award the runner 2B.

F3 has interrupted the flow of the play, and the defense incurs a heavy burden at that point. The standard of the rule is to award the obstructed runner a base in order to "nullify" the obstruction. So if I think the chances of BR reaching 2B were near 50-50 or better, I'll give him 2B. On the other hand, if BR was out by 15 feet - or caught in a rundown - then I'd likely let the out stand.

The interpretation in the major leagues is different now. From the BRD, Section 33:

Fifth and deciding game of the NLCS, 14 Oct, 2002: Benito Santiago (San Francisco) is on first with 2 outs in a scoreless game. David Bell hits for extra bases. Santiago makes third, rounds the bag, and runs into Miguel Cairo (St. Louis), the third baseman. “That’s obstruction!” yells the third-base umpire, Jeff Nelson. Santiago stops his advance and returns safely to third. Ruling: Santiago is “awarded” third, which is the base he made on his own.

Note: That outcome sets, for the time being, the philosophy of Major League Baseball regarding protecting a runner to an advance base during Type (b) obstruction. The criterion to apply, according to Nelson and his supervisor Steve Palermo, is this: The umpire must be certain the runner would have achieved his advance base or he will protect him only to the retreat base.

Nelson: “The throw came in and I knew what it had to be. I was positive that Santiago was not going to make home plate on the play. I have to be 100% sure that he's going to get home before I can give it to him. So I placed him on third base.” [BRD emphasis]

It's not what I was taught. But then I was also taught that if I kicked a call at first, I shouldn't go whining to my partner, asking for help.