The Official Forum - Need clarification on obstruction call

Quote:

Originally Posted by canadaump6

Had this situation a few days ago. R3, 1 out. Fly ball to right field. As the right fielder is making the catch, the catcher stands on homeplate. R3 tags and runs home. The catcher gloves the throw from the right fielder, without changing his stance on home plate. Runner bumps into catcher and is tagged.

I ruled obstruction on the play because the catcher's position blocking home plate was the same from the time the right fielder caught the ball to the time when he tagged the runner. My partner later approached me and told me it was not obstruction because the catcher blocked the runner while in the act of catching the ball. He disagreed with my interpretation that the fielder's block of a base must be in the action of catching a throw, and cannot originate from a moment when he was not in the action of catching the throw. Was I right to call obstruction?

Partner....right. You.... wrong. Unless you were umpiring a Little League game, the catcher can block the plate under OBR as long as he is in the act of fielding the ball. Where he stands before the runner arrives is of no concern. He can lay in front of the plate if he wants as long as he doesn't block the runner without the baseball.

The only way you could be right on this play is if you judged that the fielder blocked the runner off the plate and was not imminently receiving the ball. If the catcher is receiving the throw when the runner arrives, there is no obstruction.