Thread: Obstruction?
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Old Wed May 30, 2007, 07:45am
AtlUmpSteve AtlUmpSteve is offline
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I don't have obstruction, based on your statements (and observations). I can easily see the case where the runner was scoring from second, so her turn took her to the foul side of the base line. And, seeing the play developing, she may easily have determined that her best (safest) base path home was to slide by to the outside, to minimize the target she gives the catcher to tag, if the ball arrives before she scores.

The fact that runners recognize the location of the defense and choose to run accordingly has to be separated from being forced to deviate (and being hindered). That remains a judgment, no matter how black and white we try to make the obstruction rule. But, the intent is certainly not to penalize the defense for simply being on the field; just to make sure that the offense has an unobstructed, unimpeded, unhindered opportunity to decide how to run the bases.
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