Obstruction question

[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

[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.

[Manny A]

Well, obviously B and C are not correct.

I agree that there isn't enough information to address this. The answer could be A if there was no way that R1 would have achieved home absent the obstruction. Or it could be D if R1 would have scored if F1 had not hindered her and what's missing from your answer says something to that effect.

R2 made it safely to third base on her own accord. She ran the risk of being tagged out if R1 made it safely back as well. I don't see how anyone could argue that R2 was negatively affected by the obstruction on R1 unless it was clear that R1 would have scored on the play.

[MD Longhorn]

I think the missing part of D is important. The answer was probably D.

If that's the entirety of the question, the question is worded poorly as it's missing a crucial piece - which base the umpire would have ruled that the runner would have reached absent the obstruction.

If home - award home, R2 stays on 3rd.
If 3rd, R2 is out.

I'm hoping verbiage to that effect was part of answer D.

[Scuba_ref]

The only word missing from D is "necessary"

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Scuba_ref

The only word missing from D is "necessary"

That's rather vague then ... but it's the most accurate answer.