Slide or avoid Contact
 

OK, if you guys are still talking to me because of my last post, I would like some insight here....

Playing NFHS rules. Runner in coming home with Catcher at the plate. Runner will beat the ball, the throw is up the line, right when the runner is about 10' from the plate, the catcher jumps up the line into the runner to catch the throw coming in. The runner has no time to react, and hits the catcher. The runner is called out for not avoiding contact. Seems like the right call, but just one of those situations that is not fair to the runner.

I don't think so
 

Sounds like a "train wreck" to me and those happen. Unless the catcher or runner intentionally made malicious contact, you don't have anything in this particular case.

Of the possible rulings on this play, ruling the runner out seems to be the incorrect one. Going by your post, if the catcher did not have the ball and positioned himself in the path of the runner this should have been called obstruction, if anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by waltjp Of the possible rulings on this play, ruling the runner out seems to be the incorrect one. Going by your post, if the catcher did not have the ball and positioned himself in the path of the runner this should have been called obstruction, if anything.

From the thread

the catcher jumps up the line into the runner to catch the throw coming in.

The aforementioned is not OBS. F2 hast he right to field a thrown ball. If the ball takes him/her into the path of the runner then so be it just like an over-throw to first base.

For some strange reason, whenever there is a collision in baseball, most think that something has to be called.

For the most part whenever you have close plays at the plate there will be contact and not all contact is malicious. From the strict wording of the thread unless one of the particpants did "something extra" I have nothing.

Pete Booth

Avoiding contact
 

I would drop the terminology that a runner is out for not avoiding contact.

That will not be a true statement most of the time, since baseball by nature will have lots of contact.

As long as its unintentioned then its usually a "play on" situation.

Thanks
David

Maybe I could have clearer, but I did say 'obstruction, if anything.' If there's no intent for anything malicious on either part I'm more inclined to call nothing and play on.

The catcher, in FED, has the right to field the ball "when a play is immenant", correct?

Thanks.

Correct
 

Any player has the right to make a play on the a throw or batted ball when a play is imminant. You can't tell afielder that they have to let a ground ball go through the infield because a baserunner was running in the baseline at the same time the ball was there.

Any catcher, under any rules, has the right to catch a ball where it is thrown.

I don't believe this to be true... under NCAA codes, even if the fielder is "in the act of fielding the ball", he is guilty of obstruction if "while not in posession of the ball, (he) impedes the progress of any runner."

(NCAA Rule 2)

LL now has the rule (similar to NCAA, ASA and Fed Softball) that the fielder must HAVE the ball to block the base(path).

This, of course, is referring to a thrown ball. Someone above mentioned a SS fielding a grounder-that is a whole other bucket of slugs altogether.

Joe

Official Interpretation from Dave Yeast: While a fielder may not block the base without the ball, a fielder may move into the path of a runner if he must do so to make a play, i.e., glove a throw. (San Diego MTG, Jan. 4/5, 2003)

In NCAA a catcher can not block the plate without the ball, but that assumes he sets up at the plate with purpose to block the plate. But in any game by any rules if he goes up the line to catch a wide throw he is not blocking the plate, he is fielding his position. If a train wreck happens, it happens. What you want the catcher to do, stand at the pate and say to himelf "I can't go after that wide throw, it might be considered obstruction"?

Hmmm.... I stand corrected. I hadn't heard of this interpretation. Thanks for setting me straight.

I know of no such ruling for Little League Baseball for such an allowance. (In Fed and ASA Softball there is no such allowance.) You cannot block without the ball period.

Joe