malicious contact on fake tag

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by jodibuck

Had a strange play tonight in a FED game. Runner on first, advances to third on base hit to right field. Throw is not made to third base, but the third baseman, without the ball, makes a hard tag on the runner. Umpire immediately declares "dead ball", and ejects the third baseman for malicious contact. The umpires confer, and determine the runner should not be awarded home, since he would only have made third base on this play. My understanding is that the runner is to be awarded a minimum of one base from where the obstruction occurred. If that is true, the runner should have been awarded home.

If the obstruction took place as the runner was coming to third, then the base they are awarded is third. You cannot give home at that point unless you deemed that the obstruction prevented the runner to get to home without the fake tag (contact). This is hard to really determine by your post when the obstruction took place. And this is a judgment call if the runner had not reached third first.

Peace