Blocking the plate
 

I was working the dish tonight in a 15U Pony Game. OBR with a modified rule that no fielder can block a base without the ball.

R2, clean hit to right field. Play at the plate. Ball arrives as the catcher is going down to block the plate. Very fluid motion. The runner slides. The catcher has blocked the plate with the ball. He puts the tag on the sliding runner. No call yet. Ball falls out of catcher’s mitt. It rolls less than an arms length away. Catcher is still blocking the plate. Runner is trying to touch the plate. Catcher picks up ball and tags runner. I signal out. Coach comes unglued and wants an obstruction call. I ruled no obstruction on the first part because the ball arrived as the fielder blocked the plate. I ruled no obstruction on the second part because the ball was less than an arms length away.

I would like some opinions. Did I get it right? If not, please provide your reasoning.

It has been ruled in high school and college if the player does not have the ball prior to the blockage, then it is OBS. All of the rule sets state that if you do not have the ball and you are preventing the runner from getting to the base while you get the ball, it is OBS. Per your stated OP it was OBS in both instances.

For codes that do not allow blocking the base without possession of the ball, the rule means actual possession, not having it nearby. F2 did not have the ball, therefore he was not entitled to block the plate. OBS.

If the runner was trying to get to the plate while the catcher was trying to get the ball, then it's obstruction. If the runner was just laying there, then it's not obstruction. If there was merely contact while F2 was trying to get to the ball (as oppsoed to an active "blocking of the plate"), you might have a train wreck -- depending on the specific rule, and the specific contact.

[QUOTE]No need to go any further. This is OBR so when F2 applied the tag the call is

1. TIME
2. That's OBS
3. Score the run

Under most OBS rule codes for amateur baseball these days the player needs to have actual possession of the ball.

Terms such as "in the act of making a play" or a "play is imminent" are no longer valid.

In a nutshell if you do not have the ball the fielder must grant access to the base. If he completely blocks the base as in your OP and does not have the ball it's OBS even if the ball is right near him.

Pete Booth

[QUOTE=PeteBooth]Good explaination but might not be blatant OBS on the initial play as F2 did have the ball at time of contact. I think the part that might be OBS would be the second part of the play, and I like Bob's explaination above.

If the R2 is making no attempt then it might not be OBS. We've all seen these plays and they are all very different and the new guidelines make it harder and harder to judge IMO, especially for those of us who have called it differently for so many years.

Thanks
David


\\r

I think I understand the ruling on OBS, and this OP is a HTBT. But this sich could've also gone this way: F2 legally blocking plate w/ball...slide into F2 knocks ball out of glove, F2 reaching for ball (arms length away), runner scrambling for home around F2. If F2 is still standing, then maybe the complete plate is not blocked, if kneeling- possible same,... if laying down due to collision?-then not too sure, wait to see additional action 1st--- still...HTBT.
If not, then anytime the catcher would lose the ball due to contact, it would be OBS?--again not comfortable w/ an absolute......

[QUOTE=David B]So, must you have contact before the ball gets there to have OBS? See a lot of young catchers setting up for a throw by standing in the base path and hoping the ball gets there before the runner. When it does, they turn and tag the runner coming in. Then OC argues that the catcher was blocking the plate before the throw and we should have OBS even when the throw beats the runner by a few steps.

[QUOTE=Fritz]Contact is not a necessity for OBS to occur. It's the judgment of the umpire in the end that decides if OBS occurred.

-Josh

[QUOTE=jdmara]An indicator of this is usually if the runner was compelled to alter his/her path/and or slow to the plate as a result of F2's position.

[QUOTE=LMan]Agreed; that is actually the argument I use when I have called OBS on the 1B who likes to set up with his foot parallel to the base and force R1 to go over the foot or to the far corner of the bag when diving back on a pick-off. I try to avoid that by telling the 1B to give the runner access to the bag, but when he doesn't, I call OBS on the next pickoff attempt and the message gets sent.

Just giving the correct credit for this insight to LMan.