Runner must slide rule

[chapmaja]

Ok, I had this discussion with a coach on Monday (away game), and Thursday (home game).

On Monday I had the following play. R1 has scored, R2 is coming home. F2, sees the throw is up the 3b line, and as such she steps into the path of R2, who stops right in front of F2 about 1 foot in front of the plate. She does not slide and attempts to reach her leg between the leg of F2. I call obstruction on F2 because she did not have the ball and impeded the progress of the runner coming home. There was some contacted between the two players when F2 tried reaching for the throw and R2 was reaching for the plate. The throw got by F2, which allowed B3 to advance from 2b to 3b.

The coach, after the inning finished, question why I called obstruction on F2, not interference on R2 because R2 did not slide. I informed her that no runner is ever required to slide, they just must avoid making significant contact with a fielder in possession of the ball attempting a play on the runner. I also said that in this case, the catcher committed inference because she was impeding the progress of R2, while not in possession of the ball.

The coach then told me that they have always been told that a runner must slide.

Later in the game, last play actually, I had a situation where B1 hit a double and was attempting to stretch the play to a triple. She came running towards 3b, and just after the throw arrived, slide late and as she went down sliding made significant contact with F5 who was coming towards her with the ball. Given we had 2 injured in a tag play at the play earlier in the game (nothing illegal, just two players attempting to occupy on place), I jumped the gun and called the runner out for making significant contact with the fielder, which caused the ball to bounce out of the glove and away from F5. I did not rule the contact malicious, it was just had contact as a result of a late, but not illegal slide.

After the game I looked the rule up and found I was wrong in calling her out. She did not slide illegally, and despite being sigificant contact during her late slide, she was not sliding illegally.

On Thursday, I admitted that I missed that call and the discussion again went to the slide rule. I pointed out to the coach the exact rule that covers sliding and it not being required (same rule I incorrectly applied in the play at the end of the game).

Where the heck did the you have to slide rule come from? She is not the only coach to say umpires have been telling her that. This was a HS JV game in an area that usually sees a mix of experienced and newer umpires. Does this go back to an old rule that required players to slide to avoid contact (which could actually lead to more injuries rather than less)?