Question - this was a high school game. Runner at 2nd - ball hit in the gap between CF and LF - shortstop runs into the runner as she is halfway between 2nd and 3rd - causing runner to stumble (ball is still in the air) - official signals the delayed dead ball obstruction signal. Runner advances toward home and is thrown out at the plate. Official ruled that she was out - no effect from the obstruction. Is this right? If this is correct, what would stop a SS from grabbing a runner to avoid allowing the winning run?

Dinger,
This sounds as if the umpire felt the runner would have only safely made 3B had there been no obstruction. Since the runner went beyond 3B, the out call would be correct.

If the explanation that umpire gave was that there was no effect from the obstruction - that's a very poor explanation when he meant to say what I explained above.

Thanks for your response...however, I think that these officials believed that the rule only allowed them to give her 3rd and since she made it to 3rd safely - the obstruction was not used...I don't think they even THOUGHT that it would be possible to give her home...just my observation from their discussions. I still am not seeing how this rule helps the offense if a defender intentionally intereferes with a runner between 2nd and 3rd on a hit to the outfield...especially in a tight game. But I guess you need to see it live to know exactly what we saw...

It is not intended to help the offense. It is intended to protect the offense, or putting it another way, to restore the offense to what they would have achieved had there been no obstruction.

By rule if applied correctly, it comes down to whether the umpire judges that the effect of the OBS was enough to cause the apparent put out or that the effect was not enough and the runner would have been out anyway.

Its pretty clear here that if the runner was not obstructed then she would have made home as this was a close play at home any obstruction would have slowed down the runner .
The rule states protected between bases or to that base the runner would have got to had they not been obstructed .

Its pretty clear here that if the runner was not obstructed then she would have made home as this was a close play at home any obstruction would have slowed down the runner .

How do you know that it was a close play at home? There is nothing in the original post that says so. It only says she was thrown out at home.

As stated in posts earlier, the obstruction call only protects the runner between the bases where the obstruction occured. After that, it is the umpires judgement if she would have made it to any further bases had there been no obstruction.

It was apparent to the fans -at least- that she would have scored if not for the obstruction (she was obstructed with before the ball even hit the ground in the outfield) - the play was close at the plate. I think I am satisfied with all the explanations - and I think she should have been called safe at home. Interestingly, after this occured, I looked at our state HS website which had a clarification of the rule -
(Iowa Girls'HS Athletic Union)
"OBSTRUCTION AWARDS---Just remember, the obstructed runner shall be awarded a minimum of one base beyond the last base legally touched before the obstruction occurred. It does not matter whether the coach is stopping her at that base or it didn’t appear that she was going to go to the next base or not. The fielder is not entitled to be there, so award the penalty. It can be more than one base if the umpire felt the runner would have definitely made more had the obstruction not occurred."


Apparently our umpires didn't read this - or didn't think she would have made it to home (I am SURE it is the first scenario - but they can use the second scenario and be right too....)

Thanks for all the help - now we know!

This is a local (IA) rule, not the NFHS rule.

Hey Dinger,

I feel for ya but Blue most likely called it the best he could. At least you got some response.

Check my posting "Block or no block" and see if it makes you feel better. (ha ha)

On the outcome side of your situation I feel that if the play at home was close enough that it had to have a call then there must be a chance your runner would have been safe if she had not had to crawl part of the way between 2nd and 3rd.

It's part of the game and like it or not we still keep going back.

Chin up bud!

Coach12

Assuming you are referring to the sentence I left inthe quote, I'm glad you knew that because I hate seeing a State Interp. being wrong.