INT or OBS
 

ASA rules

probably a HTBT situation...

0 out runner on 1st, F3 is playing about 5-10' in front of baseline to guard against a bunt attempt, F4 is playing at double play depth. ground ball is hit directly towards F4, she charges in a few steps. F3 takes 1, maybe 2 steps to her right towards the ball but never had a chance to field it. the runner collides with F4, who now is in the base line.

my partner, on bases, was adamant it was OBS, i say INT.

Seems to me ASA 8-8-C and 8-7-J(1) cover this. 8-8-C says:

"[Runner is not out] When more than one fielder attempts to field a batted ball and the runner comes into contact with the one who, in the umpire’s judgment could not have made an out."

If the umpire judges in your play that F4 could have made an out on either R1 or the BR, then you can't protect the runner under 8-8-C. So you must have interference under 8-7-J(1).

The only time F4 would be guilty of obstruction in this situation is if F3 had deflected the ball, and F4 was going after that deflection. In that case, as long as R1 doesn't do something intentional to F4, then F4 cannot get into the runner's path to field the deflected ball. That's covered under 8-7-J(4).

Interference, easy - no question. F3 (in the play you describe) is immaterial. What would partner have had if F3 simply ran to the bag? Why OBS?

I'm guessing that the partner assumed (wrongly, of course) that F3 should have made the play on the ball, and that would remove F4 from consideration. But since F3 did not touch the ball, then F4 is still a protected fielder.

This is not always the case. The umpire must decide which fielder is protected - and it can't be more than one. Sounds like in this case it was rather obvious, with the ball hit directly to F4 - but just because F3 doesn't touch the ball doesn't necessarily mean F4 is the protected fielder, and on a ball between them where BU feels F3 has the best play, you could indeed have OBS on F4 - even if neither fielder is able to actually get to it.

thanks for the replies, as the play transpired, the BU hesitated, and right as I was in the process of raising my hands to give a dead ball signal and uttered "D" for dead ball, he gave an OBS signal, so i put my hands down and stopped speaking.

the DC came out, my partner and I talked, his claim was since the ball had passed a fielder (F3) who was trying to field the ball that F4 was no longer protected. I tried to talk him into INT, but to no avail...

i think the BUs erroneous rationale was to protect the first fielder who made any attempt to field the ball. as i said, F3, gave an effort to field the ball even though there was no conceivable chance she could have caught it.

I agree that protection can only be provided to one fielder. But it can move from one to another, based upon the circumstances.

In this play, for example, if R1 had run into F4 before or just as F3 was attempting to field the ball, you could judge that F3 was the protected fielder and call OBS on F4. But if the ball got past F3 and now F4 became the fielder most likely to make the play, and then R1 collided with her, then INT would be the appropriate call.

+1