Ruben

The Trea Turner case play from the World Series a couple of years ago was similar. It was a ground ball to the pitcher, maybe fielded slightly closer to home plate than in this game. https://www.closecallsports.com/2019/10/world-series-interference-blame-rule.html

Looking for thoughts on this play. In real time on my TV I thought it was RLI. Runner is running in fair territory the whole time, and is hit in the helmet with the throw about a step before first base. https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/twins-walk-off-on-single-error?t=walk-offs There was no call, no argument, and no mention of it on either broadcast. Here's a couple of still pictures, the first one showing him running not inside the runner's lane more than just the last step or two from the base, and the second one just before the ball hits him. Is it not a true throw? Did he not interfere with F3's opportunity to catch the ball? I'm not surprised this wasn't called in real time as there's a lot going on very fast, but surprised the White Sox didn't challenge it. (Or if it's one of those non-challengeable plays, at least asked about it).

This has actually happened in the MLB. Gabe Kapler got injured rounding second base on a home run. It wasn't his - he had started at first - but really the same type of thing. They had a pinch hitter finish running for him - before the batter who hit the home run passed him on the bases. Here's an article on it. And video!

This is an interesting what I assume is a hypothetical situation, but I saw very similar play actually happen: Very low level ball, about 14 year old players, essentially OBR rules (i.e., not the NFHS balk is always a dead ball rule). R1, R2, less than 2 outs. Runners stealing on the pitch, and U1 calls a no-balk pause while the pitch is being delivered. The batter starts his swing, hears the balk call and stops - but with a check swing still hits the ball just over first base. Both runners stop running and walk to their next base, while PU emphatically points that the ball is fair. The first baseman is slowly walking towards the ball, and the 3rd base coach realizes what's happening, and tells R2 (now at 3rd base) to go home. The defensive coach yells at the first baseman to get the ball and throw it home, and he does and the catcher tags R2 for the out. Meanwhile... the batter is very confused and is sort of half jogging slowly towards first base until his dugout starts imploring him to run. He finally starts to run towards first base and just before he gets there.... the first base coach jumps in his way and basically tackles him to prevent him from getting to first base! U1 sees this and immediately says "that's coach assistance - batter is out.... TIME!", followed by a long discussion with his partner and they enforce the balk, undo both outs, and put runners on 2nd and 3rd with the batter still at the plate. The most surprising thing about all of this, is I didn't see ANY coach from either team question what was going on. I think they were all so confused, they just accepted it. I'm guessing the first base coach was the only budding umpire out of the bunch.

YES! Being awarded home on obstruction does not absolve the runner of the obligation to touch it. IF the Red Sox had properly appealed it, he should have been called out. But in the whole commotion and arguing, John Farrell missed that.

Something very similar happened in the Red Sox/Twins game on April 15th. Christian Vazquez was judged to have been hit by a pitch in real time, and HP umpire Jordan Baker called time. Vazquez stopped, while the ball rolled in fair territory and a fielder threw to 1st base. On replay, the ball hit the knob of the bat and since it was a fair ball, they upheld the out at 1st base. So, OBR, in practice, differs from FED. See the "Twins overturn HBP call" video on this page https://www.mlb.com/gameday/red-sox-vs-twins/2021/04/15/634554#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=634554

Yes, of course. I was thinking of this specific case. The others are as you've elaborated.

The standard rule for throwing a ball into dead ball territory (whether over the homerun fence, into the dugout, into the stands in foul ground, etc.), is an award of two bases for all runners from the time of throw. So, if the batter had already touched 1st base when the ball was thrown, he'd be awarded 3rd base. If he hadn't yet reached first base, then he's awarded 2nd base.

Run does not count. It's OBR rule 5.08(a) Exception: A run is not scored if the runner advances to home base during a play in which the third out is made (1) by the batter-runner before he touches first base.... This is really the same as the somewhat more common occurrence where on a wild pitch that is swung at for strike three (uncaught third strike), where the runner from 3rd scores while the catcher is chasing the ball and ends up throwing the batter-runner out at 1st base.

Ignore it. I've always been taught that umpires should only care about what happens between the foul lines. Administrative concerns should be left for the league administrators (or tournament directors) to deal with.

"no runs because the third out was made by BR at first". Period. Stop thinking after this.