Play at the plate

[Jim Krueger]

Runner from second is trying to score on a base hit. As throw comes in from third baseman, catcher is standing in baseline waiting for ball in a position that totally denies access to plate. As runner slides in, a perfect relay throw arrives and a tag is applied milliseconds before any contact occurs. Was this obstruction or just a great play?

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by Jim Krueger

Runner from second is trying to score on a base hit. As throw comes in from third baseman, catcher is standing in baseline waiting for ball in a position that totally denies access to plate. As runner slides in, a perfect relay throw arrives and a tag is applied milliseconds before any contact occurs. Was this obstruction or just a great play?

Depends on the rules.

In school and LL the fielder cannot block the plate until he actually has the ball.

In OBR and NCAA the fielder can be there if he is in the act of fielding the ball.

[Jim Krueger]

My bad. NFHS rules. This was going to an obvious obstruction by the catcher but, the ball arrived and he caught it on the leg of the runner before any contact occurred.

[scrounge]

Originally Posted by Jim Krueger

My bad. NFHS rules. This was going to an obvious obstruction by the catcher but, the ball arrived and he caught it on the leg of the runner before any contact occurred.

Let's forget about contact and focus on whether you thought the runner had to pull up or otherwise adjust because the fielder was there. If the runner was hindered, that's all we need. Contact often doesn't occur, but it's still obstruction if there was material hindrance. A millisecond? At the least, highly suspected t there wasn't some hindrance.

[Jim Krueger]

What if the same play occurred with the catcher in the same position but the ball arrives when the runner 5 feet away or 10 feet or 50 feet away. In all of these situations the catcher was denying access without the ball until the ball arrived. The NFHS rules says the fielder can not deny access to the base without the ball. My question is how can I rule obstruction if no contact occurred before the tag and the runner did not alter his path but just slid like he should.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by Jim Krueger

What if the same play occurred with the catcher in the same position but the ball arrives when the runner 5 feet away or 10 feet or 50 feet away. In all of these situations the catcher was denying access without the ball until the ball arrived. The NFHS rules says the fielder can not deny access to the base without the ball. My question is how can I rule obstruction if no contact occurred before the tag and the runner did not alter his path but just slid like he should.

Was the runner hindered? Did the runner alter his speed or path because the fielder was there? Did he slide when he could have run through the base? That is what obstruction is - the hindrance.

[Jim Krueger]

I was hoping for a "black and white" rule reference but there really isn't one. I felt the runner was not hindered. He didn't change his path or slow down, but he did slide which is slower than running through the base. Obviously the coach wanted obstruction but not because his runner had to slide. He wanted obstruction simply because of where he was standing before he received the ball. Thanks for your replies.

[Jim Krueger]

I was hoping for a "black and white" rule reference but there really isn't one. I felt the runner was not hindered. He didn't change his path or slow down, but he did slide which is slower than running through the base. Obviously the coach wanted obstruction but not because his runner had to slide. He wanted obstruction simply because of where he was standing before he received the ball. Thanks for your replies