Quote:
Originally posted by Bfair
Under the situation you cite with the pitcher's back to the BR going to 1B, I'm very apt to consider the action of the runner one where the BR ran into the pitcher in an attempt to bait an obstruction call. Obstruction is a judgment call, and the BR had a wide open field in which to run.
It sounds like a bait job to me, and if it wasn't, it still could have easily be sold as one. Getting an obstruction call from me on this play isn't going to happen unless F1 does something obvious and intentional to obstruct BR. My judgment on this play (and I don't have to see the play) is that the BR tried an unsuccessful baiting of obstruction.
Freix
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Interesting that your impression was the very first thing I considered i.e. that the batter-runner
caused the obstruction. I think it is most important to call attention here to that possibility. I also considered that with this call the umpires in effect are
rewarding the stupidity of the offense. BUT the defense was equally stupid and stupid happens in baseball.
I think you had to be there to determine good call/bad call. As described the pitcher had his back turned and was unaware of the batter-runner until the last moment. In this case if the batter-runner continued in that straight-line toward first-base it sounds as if it was the proper call. This sounds like one of those wild and wacky situations that will NEVER HAPPEN in a real game -- then it does. Jim/NYC