ASA - Obstruction or good play

[EugeneCoug]

Obstruction. And it may have been obstruction even if the catcher had caught the ball, if the umpire judges the runner to have been impeded (hesitated or slowed down) by reason of the catcher being in front of the plate. A fully armored catcher will, in most cases, intimidate a runner in that situation and, therefore, the benefit of the doubt (assuming there is any) has to go to the runner. What's a catcher to do, then? Catch then block. Say it with me, catch then block.