Had this tonight
 

What's your call. I was the BU so it wasn't my call to make.

R1 on 2nd, R1 on first. Single to CF. R1 coming home. Throw beats her to the plate and F2, who at this time possess the ball, drops down to block the plate. R1 legally slides towards the plate and the contact knocks the ball out of F2's glove where it lands next to F2. The contact also knocks F2 backwards so she is sitting over all of home plate. R1 is trying to touch the plate, but can't touch it because it's covered by F2. F2 picks up the ball and tags R1. As F2 is getting up, R1 touches home plate.

What's the call?



My partner was a little late in making the call, but called obstruction on the catcher because she was sitting over the entire plate not in possession of the ball. He said he waited until she touched the plate to call it a dead ball because he wanted to make sure she was given a chance to touch home plate, thus avoiding an appeal for missing the plate after she was awarded home plate.

I have to agree with this call on the play.

For the record, we use local league modifications to basic ASA rules for the league.

There is no need to wait until the obstructed runner subsequently touches the plate before killing play. Once an obstructed runner is put out, you kill play immediately, and make the announcement. It's up to the runner to know she must then touch the awarded base.

And call/signal the OBS immediately at the time of "R1 is trying to touch the plate, but can't touch it because it's covered by F2"

Others have answered wrt the call itself. I'm commenting on the motivation of your partner.

This reads like he manipulated the timing of his call to avoid having to deal with a missed base appeal.

Or, worse, didn't think the runner would know she has to touch home if obstruction is called before she touches.

Hopefully, I'm misreading what you meant.

Are saying the possibility of the runner hearing the award and just going to the bench?

Yeah, that's one way of reading what he wrote. I'm not sure what was meant, though. I am sure that an umpire has no business delaying a call to help one team or the other figure things out.

I suspect you are correct in the part about the runner not knowing. This was a 7th/8th grade Rec game.

To be honest I'm shocked that the runner actually did slide on the play considering during the middle school season I had to call her out on a similar play. Catcher had the ball and she took a chop at the glove of the catcher holding the ball as the catcher tried tagging her. The ball popped out and I called her out for interference. At least I know she was listening when the coaches told her to slide.

You do know there's no rule requiring her to slide... right?

Yes, I know she doesn't have to slide, and her not sliding wasn't what caused the problem in the MS game earlier this season. What caused the problem was the clear and intentional chopping action of her arm which was intended to knock the ball out of the glove when she was tagged.