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which I think is ridiculous. It also has caused trickle down effect to lower levels expecting time after after ball in play

Okay, sure. It was called, as "usual" (for MLB). But this time, they didn't. No ball-to-be-played enters the game without going through the PU's ball bags and hands (yeah, yeah... I had to qualify this because of the occasional "free baseball at the ballpark giveaway night!", or the youngster mimicking the adults and "throwing it back"). So if they didn't change out the baseball, then Peralta (F1) never had a/the baseball... certainly, PU Bucknor never issued him (a new) one. But here's the wrinkle... and again, I've mentioned it before several times here on U-E, it's unique to Major League Baseball. As soon as F1 engages the rubber, the ball (that he's supposed to have) is made Live regardless of PU signaling the ball Live or speaking it ("Play") Live. The action clock begins, and the Official Timekeeper (a League employee) is cued off such an act as the pitcher (re)engaging the rubber. So the ball is supposed to be Live upon Peralta engaging the rubber... but he doesn't have a/the ball. Thus, a call of Balk is appropriate. By contrast, in other leagues and rule codes (amateur, specifically), a/the ball is only made Live when the PU signals/says it Live. We ran into this exact problem in a league this summer – after a Foul ball, a new ball was thrown to F1, who received it within the dirt circle of the mound. The clock operator was mistaken, and started the clock. R2 was still returning back to the vicinity of 2B, and the F1 threw to F6, who "tagged R2 Out". The ball was never put back in play – signaled or spoken Live – by the PU. Caused a bit of a ruckus. Because coaches on both sides were wondering: Why wasn't he (R2) Out? If he's not Out, then why wasn't that a Balk? "But the clock started!" We aren't Major League Baseball.

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I believe that's what happened. I asked an MLB umpire about this play and he said the same rule applies here as it would on an amateur field. The ball needs to be alive and in play. But he believes MLB wanted to clarify the ruling, so he's been waiting to hear that. The clock starting doesn’t necessarily mean that the ball is alive and in play.

I don't see much of that. For instance, one of the most common forms of obstruction is during a rundown. How often do we see runners take a fielder out? We see them deviate from their path to avoid a fielder quite often and the call is almost always made. Same thing with type 2 when a runner is rounding a base. We don't see them take out the fielder to make sure the obstruction is called. But they DO need to be impeded for obstruction to be called. The Kansas City play is a perfect example. The runner was simply not impeded. He was tagged before his hand even reached the fielder's leg.

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I'd have to see a specific rule (at which point I would declare the rule makers bereft of brain function), but this just looks like an umpire that doesn't understand the rule...spirit or letter. The only other explanation I can think of is with the ball hit to the outfield he braincramped and thought BR had made a turn to second (as one normally does on hits to the outfield). She overran first - she's allowed to return to first, and except for a one or two second diversion, caused by F3, she did so. If she'd be touching only the orange when the pitcher had the ball on the rubber then he'd have a legitimate out.

Personally, I have OBS on F3 here. She wasn't letting BR get back to the white bag. I certainly don't have an out. I discussed this with someone that did a Softball JR WS and does HS softball locally, he had the same. For baseball, you didn't see an out during regions (which newly had the double first base) and none during the WS so far (that I'm aware of, been off line the last few days but I assume you'd have used that example if it had happened). Baseball 12s regions and WS having a higher bar for selecting umpires (how it's set is debatable but it's different than other divisions/levels) and you generally see more experience in judgment. My understanding is that baseball Region & WS umps mentality is to consciously give leeway to the offense with the double bag. Some interesting baseball double bag moments from Regions below. UECoachAssistDoubleBag.mov UEdoublebagOBStag.mov UEcoach1B.mov