Play at the plate
 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Is a slide not slowing down?

Not if he was going to slide anyway which I believe he was and no one ever tried to say he only slid to avoid the catcher.

Are you trying to rationalize your call? Sounds like it.

IMO based on the OP, you got it right! Every "banger" is a millisecond away from being either safe/out.

You can obstruct a base, or plate, as long as you want, as long as there is no "imminent" play being made.

If a runner is doing what he needs to do (get to the base) and the fielder is doing what he needs to do (catch the ball), it all comes down in the wash.

In other words, it's our judgement! As officials, we need to read the play, be in the best possible position to make the call based on what we see and in accordance with the rules. It's not easy! That's why we are who we are!

We get it right 99% of the time, and then there's that 1%.

Unlike coaches who are correct 100% of the time.:D

PS:POE for FED this year is the legality and location of sliding at HP. A runner need not slow down on a play at the plate because it creates an advantage for the defense.

I'm just curious but, I've been doing HS ball for over 12yrs and I don't get these situations! Am I just lucky or what? I WANT ONE!

Had a couple FPSRs, one RLI, one, or two BI.

Not one squeeze play. Still waiting and looking forward to that!

I have been umpiring High School for 16 years and I have not had many issues either. I guess that is why these situations drive me nuts when they occur. I'm not trying to justify an improper call. I know I got it right. Like Rich said,"was the runner hindered" is the key to this play not where the catcher was positioned while waiting for the ball. The runner didn't change anything (in my opinion) because of where the catcher was positioned before he had the ball. The ball simply beat the runner by a fraction of a second. It is a judgment call that was going to have one coach or the other pissed off, but I would have had a tough sell trying to tell the defensive coach the runner is not out simply because his catcher stood in the wrong spot before he caught the ball and tagged out the runner. Again, thank you for your replies.