Catcher’s Limits

[tcannizzo]

Making up rules??????????



ASA POE 8. Catcher's Box
[snip]
(Fast Pitch Only) Catchers must remain in the catcher's box until the pitch is released. During a regular pitch to a batter, should the batter be in the front of the batter's box, the catcher can move closer to the plate without penalty. At all times, the catcher must still avoid catcher's obstruction as the batter legally has the right to the entire batter's box.

Obstruction does not require contact between the catcher and the bat or the batter. The umpire's request to move farther away from the batter ot avoid injury or obstruction should always be obeyed.

ASA POE 38. Obstruction
[large snip]
(Fast Pitch and Slow Pitch where stealing is allowed) If a catcher reaches forward, (over or in front of home plate) in an attempt to catch a the pitched ball, catcher's obstruction could be ruled.

Quotes are from the 2005 Rule Book.

[Dakota]

tcannizzo,

Perhaps it would be useful to refocus on what catcher's obstruction actually is.

ASA 8-1-D
When the catcher obstructs the batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball.

You wrote:

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

...I told the catcher that if her mitt was over any part of home plate that she would be obstructing the strike zone. I would have Catcher's OBS, even if the batter took a pitch belt-high down the middle...

First, it is not possible to obstruct the strike zone. The strike zone is not a batter. Second, merely having the mitt over the plate is not necessarily bothering the batter at all.

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

ASA POE 38. Obstruction
[large snip]
(Fast Pitch and Slow Pitch where stealing is allowed) If a catcher reaches forward, (over or in front of home plate) in an attempt to catch a the pitched ball, catcher's obstruction could be ruled.

"Could" not "shall." The reaching over the plate is not, in and of itself, obstruction. What this is saying is that if, by reaching over the plate, the catcher obstructs the batter's attempt to hit the pitch, that contact with the bat is not necessary for the call. But, still, obstructing the batter is required.

The problem I had with your warning was not that you gave the warning, but that you told the catcher that you would make the call for merely having her mitt over the plate even if it had no effect on the batter. That is not supported by the rules.