Obstruction in Cluster**** after D3K

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by BretMan

I was thinking of the play ASA published on their website a few years ago.

Batter hits fly ball to the outfield. Between home and first she collides with a defensive player and umpire signals obstruction. The fly ball is then caught.

The ruling is that the batter-runner is still out. You don't award first base on that one. I could see a parallel on this play if the B/R being impeded had no bearing on her safely reaching first base.

There is a reason this one is considered a special case. It's not meant to be parallel to any play (ANY!) where BR could still conceivably be safe. The only reason THAT play is ruled differently than you might if you just went straight by the rule and nothing else is that the obstruction of the runner has NOTHING to do with whether BR was going to be out or not. It's not meant to parallel ANYTHING else or be extrapolated at all.