Obstruction ruling

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by Roger Greene
Don,
I'm not sure what your question is but here is my take.

If a runner is obstructed then there is a penalty. That penalty is at least one base. If the runner was making an attempt to advance, then she gets at least one base in advance. If she was attempting to retreat then she is protected back to the last base.

The penalty would be applied even if appears the runner would have been out absent the obstruction before she made the next base. (Fed rules specifically state that a runner may not be called out between two bases if an obstruction occures between those bases. The only execption would be if the runner committs an inteference,left early on a caught fly, or fails to touch a base.)

If the runner then advances beyond the next base, either retreating or advancing, only then do I have to make any type of distance judgement. It is at that point that post obstuuction evidence would be taken into account.

If a runner is just rounding a base, and not making any attempt to advance,and contacts a defensive player without the ball or about to catch the ball, then you don't have obstruction.

Roger Greene

Roger,

I know you are more knowledgeable in NFHS than I, but unless the Fed changed their obstruction rule again this year, I believe your statement above is incorrect.

As of last season, the umpire is to place the runner on whatever base the umpire believes the runner would have attained had obstruction not occurred.

Just because the runner is advancing to the next base does not necessarily mean that the umpire would judge s/he would have made it safely.

A perfect example is the BR rounding first with no shot of safely advancing to 2B collides with who is watching F9 throw the ball toward F6 standing at 2B. This is obstruction, but the rules do not dictate (any longer) that the runner be awarded 2B.