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Originally Posted by RPatrino
MBcrowder, the rule is plainly written. It clearly states, 'impose such penalties, IF ANY, that in his judgement will nullify the act of obstruction'. You may call obstruction and have NO penalty, thus no protection at all of the runner.
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Yes, but it does not say that you can rule obstruction and not know whether you would award a particular base. Altering the award based on post-obstruction evidence should NEVER include actions by the runner that were altered because of the OBS. They CAN include subsequent overthrows, etc. But if you thought he would score at the moment he's obstructed, you can't penalize him for changing his mind about trying to score because he's no longer as far along the basepath - a situation CAUSED by the obstruction itself.
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Here's a sitch that happened to me several years ago. A speedy runner, running from 2b on a gapper, is knocked down by the F6 between 2nd and 3rd. In my judgement, he is fast enough to score on the play, absent the obstruction. As the play unfolds the 3rd base coach give the runner a late stop sign, and he slips and falls about 6 feet past 3rd. A backdoor play gets him on his slide back into 3rd. What's your call?
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Easy. Send him home. What would have happened without the OBS? Had he not been knocked down, he wouldn't have gotten the stop sign. Had he not been knocked down, he wouldn't have slipped trying to stop. This one is a VERY easy and proper award of home. You said it all when you said, "In my judgement he is fast enough to score on the play." Enough said. Everything else happened BECAUSE OF the obstruction, and it's our job to nullify the OBS.