Man on second get sign to steal third when he gets close to third the catcher over throws the fielder and the ball goes to the outfield. Man stealing third jumps over the fielder to avoid contact or injuring the fielder. Base ump calls him safe then the plate asks for a conference. After there talk the base ump calls him out for jumping over a player.

There would have never been a play at third because the ball was in left field.

In FED it is an out for jumping/hurdling a fielder unless the fielder is laying on the ground. It is also an out for diving over a fielder at anytime.

In FED (lacking a rulebook I cannot give an exact citation) it also specifies that the fielder was laying on the ground as if they had attempted to make the play, which says to me the intent is to protect the fielder unless it is a legitimate effort to avoid contact. If this was under FED, given what you have described, it sounds as if the jump was made to avoid contact and the fielder was on or near the ground. Is this the case? If so, there's no reason to ring up the runner.

Of course, if this is OBR and there isn't a league rule prohibiting this sort of thing, it's a moot point. No foul under OBR.

I think we need to put things in perspective.

The official term, I believe is "Hurdling". Even under OBR and in the Major Leagues, such action is illegal.

Nonetheless . . . a fielder without the ball or in the process of receiving the ball, is actually obstructing the Runner.

You need to be very clear on what came first . . . the chicken or the egg.

As cited, the fielder obstructed the runner; then the runner "hurdled" in order to avoid contact . . . not to avoid being tagged.

I think the proper call should be a "no call"; runner safe at 3rd.

Jerry

"The official term, I believe is "Hurdling". Even under OBR and in the Major Leagues, such action is illegal."

Nope.

Concur. Hurdling, whether or not it's the official term, is not illegal under OBR. Same goes for diving. The only reason, whatsoever, that you'd ring someone up for this during an OBR game is because there is a league rule prohibiting it. Otherwise...

FED, being the more safety-concerned of the two, will ring you up for this unless you're trying to avoid contact. And if you do so by diving, tough luck. Know the rules, then play.

1) Hurdling is NOT illegal under OBR.

2) Even if the runner is obstructed, hurdling is illegal under FED.

1) Hurdling is NOT illegal under OBR.

2) Even if the runner is obstructed, hurdling is illegal under FED.

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I will quote you the rule in the morning, but to say that hurdling in FED is illegal is not always true as I stated eariler. It is legal if and only if the fielder is laying on the ground. That does not mean knealing or on one knee.

Good Morning
FED Rule 4-2c&d:
c. does not legally attempt to avoid a fielder in the immediate act of making a play on him; or

PENALTY: The runner is out, the ball remains alive unless interference is called.
NOTE: Jumping, hurdling, and leaping are all legal attempts to avoid a fielder as long as the fielder is lying on the ground.

d. dives over a fielder; or

PENALTY: The runner is out and the ball remains alive unless interference occurs.
NOTE: Diving over a fielder is illegal.

[Edited by gobama84 on Jun 24th, 2003 at 07:35 AM]