[DG]

Originally posted by umpduck11

NFHS Rule Book
2-22-1

"Obstruction is an act(intentional or unintentional,as
well as physical or verbal) by a fielder,any member of the defensive team,or it's team personnel,that hinders a runner
or changes the pattern of play as in 5-1-3,and 8-3-2"
Case book contains a situation somewhat similar to this
one,although it is verbal in nature.

I need a better reference than this, should this come up in an important game.

I can see calling obstruction on the offense when they verbally do something to prevent the offense from advancing. Or a fake tag, that makes a runner slide insted of advancing. But this play is a trick play designed to enduce the offense to advance, not hinder advance.

Now for a similar play, run by the offense all the time to trick the defense. R1 and R3, R1 starts for 2b, either after the pitch, or after pitcher comes set. The intent is not to steal 2b, but to draw a throw, and allow runner on 3b to score, while defense is pre-occupied with R1.

i saw something similar this weekend. Batter walks with runner on 3b, he rounds 1b like he is legging out a double and nearly stops between 1st and 2nd. Needless to say the next 60 seconds were funny as sh*t, and when it was all over we had R1 and R3 and no one tagged out. Better execution on defense would have resulted in an OUT on one of the runners. There was a point in time that if 2b man was a tad smarter, R3 would have been out (love to get those lead runners on trick plays).

If this is well defensed it will not work. In the other situation, if runners watch the ball it will not work either.

I have heard this play called the "Miami" play. I always assumed it was first used by Univ of Miami, but I don't know for sure.