obstruction
 

heres the play: runner on second base, ball is hit to centerfield, runner from second would of clearly scored on the play. third baseman obstructs the runner at third base and the runner from second is know in a run down between home and third. i call the obstruction as soon as it happens. the runner ends up getting tagged out at trying to go back to third base. after the play i award the runner home. was this the correct call?

Sounds good to me. Did the obstruction occur before or after the base? Either way, if you felt the runner could have scored you're correct.

In your judgment was the defense making a play on the runner at the time of the obstruction? If they were you should have immediately killed it and awarded the runner home. If you felt that the defense wasn't making a play on the runner at the time of the obstruction you note the obstruction, and then at the end of playing action you award the base(s) if any that you feel would nullify the act of the obstruction.


Tim.

what happened was the third baseman was not paying attention and was standing right in front of the third base bag and contact was made with the runner. should i have killed the play and awarded the runner home? there would of been no play at third and runner would of easily scored.

If the ball was in flight from center field to the third baseman at the time of the obstruction you had a type A obstruction. If so, the play is killed and the runner is awarded home. If, however there was no play being made on the runner at the time of the obstruction, you had a type B obstruction and the ball is delayed dead, at which point you need to determine if the runner would have scored absent the obstruction. I'm not sure, but it sounds like you had a type B obstruction call here. This is a ply from the J/R that illustrates what I'm talking about.


R1, hit and run. The batter hits a line drive base hit at the left fielder. Rounding second, R1 must alter his stride to avoid the shortstop, and he stumbles; obstruction. The left fielder throws behind R1, who is now returning to second, and he is about to be tagged: the return of R1 is protected. Indeed, the umpire must determine if he chose to return, or if the obstruction caused him to return when acquiring third was his intention, and was reasonably possible.


Tim.

thank you very much. i had type B.

Remember that you MUST award one base for the obstruction, and then anything he would have gotten on top of that. He CAN be called out, if he is tagged out and the obstruction had no bearing on the play, but only when he has already reached the next base safely after the obstruction.

Not true for a type B obstruction call. You award the base(s) if any that will nullify the act of the obstruction. It's entirely up to your judgment whether or not you'll protect him to an advance base. Here's an example where you wouldn't protect the runner on a type B obstruction.

None on...B1 hits a line drive to short centerfield. As the BR rounds first he brushes F3 who is standing in his basepath and in your judgment he loses a step. He continues on to second where he's thrown out by five or six steps.

On this play the obstruction wasn't such as to prevent the runner from obtaining second base safely.


Tim.