Obstruction question

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Rita C

The Washington Officials Association has it's own test. I did well but missed one that I can't find casebook or rules directly addressing. (Or I may be missing it.)

Here's the question:

R1 is on third base, R2 is on 1st base, no outs. B4 hits a ground ball to F4, f4 trows the ball to F2 to prevent R1 from scoring. R1 gets into a rundown between 3rd base and home plate. During the rundown R1 is obstructed by F1. R1 is able to get back to 3rd base safely. During the rundown R2 had reached 3rd base. R2 is then tagged by f5 while standing on third base.

A. R2 is out.

B. The ball is dead as soon as the obstruction occurs.

C. Since R2 had reached 3rd base, R1 must be awarded home.

D. R1 is awarded the base she would have reached had the obstruction not occurred. Other runners are moved as....

(I don't have the last part of D.)

Rita

Speaking ASA

To start, you do not indicate what the awarded base should have been since there is no indication of the runner's progress at the time of the OBS. Let's assume the runner was OBS while returning to 3rd base.

Catch 22 - my opinion would be that R2 should be ruled out as R1 owns that base and you have a live ball. Since two players cannot occupy the same base simultaneously during a live ball, R2 was in jeopardy.

OTOH, there is another line of thought that would insist R2 was affected by the OBS, therefore afforded some level of protection. The counter to that would be that R2 safely advanced to a base that another runner would have attained safely had the OBS not occurred, hence R2 was not affected by the OBS that officially never occurred since the OBS safely attained the base to which s/he was entitled safely had the OBS not occurred.