Baseball rules are numerous and two of the most difficult are the rules governing interference and obstruction. In this clip, you decide if the umpire should call obstruction, interference, or nothing.
Umpires good or bad need to make calls in real time, not with video replay and slow motion. It's important if you are on the field alone, that you remain in a position to see all of the action.
RULING: Type B obstruction, runner should be awarded 2nd base. Umpire should verbally indicated obstruction "that's obstruction" and point at the area of the collision. The ball is live until play ends at which time the umpire awards the base he judges the runner would have reached had obstruction not occurred.
Common misconception: "Don't fielders have a right to field a ball?" Yes, only on a hit ball and only ONE fielder gets this right. This ball was thrown and fielders do not have the right to obstruct a runner (on purpose of by mistake) in the act of fielding a thrown ball. IF, however, we use the ORB, a fielder might be in the act of fielding a throw that is very near a runner advancing and he reaches in order to catch that ball (sometimes referred to as "imminent possession"), then he is in the act of fielding and is not obstruction. HOWEVER, youth leagues (Little League) as well as NFSH (High School) has done away with "imminent possession" in favor of actual possession.
The OBSTRUCTION rules are not found in the rule book under just one simple section....Rule books for baseball are like laws written by congress....you need to go to multiple sections to get the whole pitcher. Therefore, I have included links to the ORB as well as quotes directly from casebooks. Youth Leagues don't use the ORB, so see below how Obstruction is different. In either case, this particular play would be obstruction in ANY rule at any time in baseball. Even IF a fielder had the right to obstruct the runner in the act of fielding an errant throw, only ONE fielder has that right, which in this case would have been the right fielder, not the first baseman.
Rules #: 6.01 (b) Fielder Right of Way (states that on a thrown ball any member of the offensive team (other than the runner) that hinders the fielder...)
#6.01 (h) details Obstruction (Too long for here...see link)
Link to Official Rules of baseball:
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2018 NFHS Baseball Casebook. Page 402. Obstruction 2.22.1 situation B: "B1 hits the ball into the gap. He rounds first and heads to second base. F6 blocks the base ...(c), the ball is in motion from the outfield and F6 will probably make a play on B1. Ruling: Obstruction in (c) if F6 denies access to the base without possession of the ball.
