Did I screw this up?

[umpjim]

Originally Posted by bluehair

The no hurding rule was put in place for safety. You don't want spikes flying by a fielder's head. Fed also has an avoid contact safety rule also.

You say that R2 went over/around F5 after F5 dropped the ball. You have to judge if R2's action was more of a hurdle or more of an attempt to avoid contact with F5 who is probably doing something different than he would be if he didn't drop the ball. If F5 reached over/into R2's path then perhaps F5 initiated this problem for you. Not that R2 can justify hurdling him, but perhaps you do have nothing. Judgement call.

What's the avoid contact safety rule?

It sounds like F5 was not lying on the ground so this would not apply:

"2. Runners are never required to slide, but if a runner elects to slide, the slide must be legal. (2-32-1, 2) Jumping, hurdling, and leaping are all legal attempts to avoid a fielder as long as the fielder is lying on the ground. Diving over a fielder is illegal."

[bluehair]

Originally Posted by umpjim

What's the avoid contact safety rule?

Fed 8-4-2(c) requires runners to "attempt to avoid a fielder".

...The OP said "The runner jumps over/around the 3rd baseman". I have seen plays where runner was doing everything right and then a fielder does something wrong and causes runner to do something in an attempt to avoid a collision. I do not want to OOO this kind of action with a hurdling call.

I know what a hurdle looks like and I know what avoiding contact looks like. On a dirty play like the one in the OP, you have to decide what you've got. Was he more going over (illegal) or more going around (legal).