Contact at 1B

[Pops]

High school game...Batter hits a grounder to F6 who throws to F3. Ball arrives with BR still about a step and a half away from 1B, but the throw is a bit wide and F3 has to reach in front of BR. F3 drops the ball but it bounces directly up to him before BR reaches first. During the time the ball bounced down and up to F3, the BR slows up a little but makes unintentional contact with F3. The runner is called safe due to obstruction. The contact is ignored. Is the call correct? What if F3 had dropped the ball again off the bounce due to the contact?

[noumpere]

Likely the correct call under Fed rules. There was a case play on this when the new obstruction rule came out.

Likely a train wreck under other codes.

[JamesC]

If obstruction was called then evidentally the contact was not ignored.

[DirtyDawg]

Under any rules I have ever played for the above call is correct. It's just one of those unavoidable necessary evils that occur during the game. There really is no way around it!

[mstaylor]

It sounds like they called obstruction, which under Fed rules is probably correct. The caveat to Fed is did he block the whole base off. If the runner has a line to te base then it isn't obstruction. Any other code it's a trainwreck and call the play according to what happened.

[blp79]

I have to agree,sounds like obstruction.But did he block the runners path to the bag completely?If not then I would say you have a train wreck.

Edited April 22, 2010 by blp79