Erstad - Estrada Collision at the plate

[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by CoachJM

Just saw the replay of this on Sportscenter when they were showing highlights of the Braves/Angels game.

Can anyone help me understand why this is a legal play by Erstad, even in MLB?

This one strikes me as a different animal that the famous Rose - Fosse collision because in this case, Erstad left his path to home and clearly intended to take out Estrada rather than reach home plate.

Coach in watching that collision you now know why amateur leagues have the safety rules and why the NCAA changed their ruling on Obstruction.

In major league baseball when you block a base, get ready. When F2 blocks the plate he better get ready for a collision. I have seen it go the "other way" also, meaning F2 knew the runner was going to try and "take him out" and when all was "said and done" the runner was the one lying on his back in pain.

In addition, there is no malicious contact rule in major league baseball.

Side Note: for those who think LL is safety conscious, the aforemetnioned play would have been leagal in a LL game. The player would get ejected, but the run counts.

In FED/NCAA - We have an out and an EJ. The reason for the out is that Erstad Maliciously Contacted Estrada BEFORE he touched home plate.


Pete Booth