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Old Thu Nov 29, 2001, 01:08am
David Emerling David Emerling is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Germantown, TN (east of Memphis)
Posts: 783
Situation: R1. Base hit into right centerfield. R1 tags 2nd and is heading for 3rd when he is obstucted by F6. R1 falls down. As a result, R1 thinks twice and returns safely to 2nd. BR had already tagged 1st and was heading for 2nd with a double when he was surprised to see R1 return. In his attempt to scamper back to 1st, BR is thrown out.

Pretty easy. You make the call.

But here's an obstruction question I need answered:

Is it theoretically possible that a runner could be obstructed (Type B) and, afterwards, be thrown out at the next base after the obstruction, where the umpire could allow the out to stand?

Example: Batter drives the ball over the rightfielder's head. While rounding 1st, the BR bumps into F3 who is standing in BR's way. Obstruction. The bump is very slight, causing BR to lose a step or two at most. At the time of the obstruction, the ball was being thrown to F4, the relay man. BR overestimates his hit as the ball took a nice hop off the wall resulting in the ball's quick return to the infield. BR should have remained at 1st and settled for a long single. But he is thrown out by a country mile at 2nd. Could the umpire rule that the out stands reasoning that the BR would have been thrown out anyway, notwithstanding the obstruction?
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