Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dakota
youngump, you're getting yourself all wrapped around the axle on this (or, perhaps twisting yourself in an axel....)
The obstruction effect is a base award. It has nothing whatsoever to do with whatever the batter might or might not recognize as having happened. The obstructed batter is under no obligation to run or not run. As with obstruction on a runner, the runner does what the runner does after the obstruction. It is a delayed dead ball, and after the play is over, the umpire will make whatever awards are to be made, according to his judgment.
With CO, the assumption is the obstruction impeded (not interfered with - since interference has a defined meaning, using it as a generic word in these situations is confusing) the batter's attempt to strike at the ball. As a result of this, several things can happen, but basically two results:
1) The batter hit the ball fair and reached 1B and all other runners advance at least 1 base safely.
The CO is ignored. Play stands, including all outs recorded, runners advanced, or runs scored.
2) The batter either does not reach 1B safely or at least one other runner does not advance 1 base safely.
OC gets the choice of the obstruction effect (BR awarded 1B other runners advance if forced) or the result of the play. The batter is NOT obligated to recognize that she is now a BR for the effect of the CO to be enforced. She will be awarded 1B.
|
So, I agree with you in principle, but if I read the rule as making them a batter runner, I'm not sure how I can back it up from the book. That is I'd have done just what you said, and called it dead as soon as the runners (not BR) had stopped and they'd have liability to be put out and if they were, we'd let the coach decide whether to take their out and everything else that happened or not. But everything else, would not have included the batter taking first after obstruction of ball one.
If I call a delayed dead ball after the batter runner did not get a hit, the runner on first or second can try and come all the way home with no possible penalty. And in fact, it's not actually dead until all action stops since CO doesn't contain the dead ball and where would they have gotten penalty that Obstruction carries. I guess it is dead after 3 outs.
________
EROTIKA