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Originally Posted by Dholloway1962
I see ur point so don't think I'm being argumentative. In the truest sense of the black and white of the written rule you are correct. But, how can we expect the fielder to immediately disappear after losing the possession of the ball? Common sense dictates that when you have a play, such as in the OP, there is a possibility of the ball coming loose. The fielder has the right to get to the ball as much as the runner getting to the plate. The fielder has to do something. If they move they OBS, if they don't move they OBS.
I know I'm going to be crucified for this, but I'm writing it.....I don't think this is what the writers of the rule meant when they rewrote that rule.
Most of what I read in the OBS deals with before a play and at the time of the play, not immediately after a play (please let me know if I misread something that covers this).
Another example would be the same play at the play and this happening....runner slides in and contacts the pitcher (all legal). The tag made before runner gets to plate. Ball for a split second is bobbled, straight up in the air, and then again controlled by the pitcher, right back into glove (all this seen by umpire). Runner never got to plate and pitcher never moved glove off runner. At the time of the bobble do you have OBS?
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OBS requires impeding the runner, not merely losing possession of the ball. In the OP, the runner is "quickly and smartly" attempting to touch the plate. If the catcher impeded this action without the ball, that is obstruction. If by so impeding the runner, the catcher gave herself time to retrieve the ball she lost possession of, and you do not call this because... why was that again? ... you have not made the correct call, in my view.