Obstruction Protection

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Spence

Good info. Let me ask one more related question.

R1. BR hits a gapper. R1 is obstructed by SS and returns to 2nd base. BR would have had an easy double but sees R1 return so he tries to get back to 1B but is tagged out.

Do you award him 2nd base?

Yes.

The FED penalty explicitly spells this out:
"When a runner is obstructed (2-22) while advancing or returning to
a base, the umpire shall award the obstructed runner and each other runner
affected by the obstruction the bases they would have reached, in his opinion,
had there been no obstruction." (8-3-2)

BTW, the next sentence applies to your original case:
"If the runner achieves the base he was attempting to acquire, then the obstruction is ignored."