Ohio High School State Title Game - OBS Call

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by teebob21

Luckily it doesn't happen often, but I'm very torn on this topic. When we call OBS, we're supposed to decide what will happen assuming the event we just called OBS on didn't happen. That's a tough decision AT THAT MOMENT, even for a confirmed psychic. That said, I award bases the way the rule says....where do I think the runner would have gotten absent the OBS. I won't lie, the results of the primary play/throw (NOT the plays & throws that follow) definitely help me arrive at that decision. Example from this high school season: BR hits a ground ball to RF. Before reaching 1B, BR is obstructed by F3. (I judged this as "the primary play". Absent the obstruction, BR would have reached 1B.) F9 airmails the throw to the infield, and BR advances to 2B before retreating to 1B. An infielder retrieves the ball from the errant throw, and tosses it to F3, where our BR is put out between 1B and 2B. I rule an OUT.

I feel it is worth adding to this with a philosophy; one we have discussed on this board before over the years.

When you say "Before reaching 1B, BR is obstructed by F3", that may not be the full story. For the most part, "impedes the progress of a runner" is not something that is limited to the one specific spot where it initially occurs; I would submit that runners are most often impeded for an area, several steps, perhaps before, most often after, the initial spot where the defender is standing. When a runner breaks stride, changes direction, or makes contact, it takes a few strides to regain full speed and balance; and if we are charged to negate the result of the obstruction, then we must also judge the entire scope and length of that obstruction to include any area from where the runner was hindered until he/she recovers and is now unimpeded.

So, in your play stated from your recent high school season, if that batter-runner was back at full speed and in full balance and no longer hindered from the obstruction, ALL BEFORE reaching 1st base, then I accept and agree with your stated outcome.

But it seems pretty rare to me that on this play the OBS happened so far before the bag that the BR was fully recovered prior to reaching, rounding, etc. While the initial judgment may be to only award 1st base, the protection "between the two bases" should be extended for as far as the runner remains hindered; so I've likely got her protected between 1st and 2nd, even though I'm not awarding 2nd. Absent that, you didn't negate the result of the obstruction, and you effectively rewarded the defense for the violation.

I agree that we aren't psychics, and we sometimes have to use our best judgment without the prescience necessary to be fully confirmed. That said, if I have any doubt, I will always err on the side of protecting the victim of the obstruction when the alternate option results in rewarding the offender. I believe that is always the intent of that rule.