Reversed Call With Good Reason?

[Pops]

I was in B during a pick off attempt at first on R1. The runner was caught leaning, and it resulted in a rundown. My partner did not come out to help, so I had to watch the whole thing between first and second. After the tag on R1, I called him out. But he gave me a funny look and held up his hands as if to indicate that he should not be out. I then paused for just a second because something just didn't seem right to me.

I quickly replayed all the action back in my head. Did I really miss something here? My gut feeling told me I forgot to process something in the play. Then it came to me...the runner was getting up off the ground because he had been run into by F4 (without the ball) during the rundown.

But by now my partner had come out to discuss it with me and we decided to reverse the call to obstruction and give the runner second base. Now the DC comes out and the first thing out of his mouth is, "Was he out of the baseline?" WHAT?!?! What does that have to do with the play? Am I missing something here?

So after a series of irrelevant questions, the DC then asks, "Why did you originally call him out?" I told him I called him out on the tag play only and didn't consider the obstruction until my partner and I discussed it. He went back to the dugout and we played on.

Did I handle this correctly?

[Welpe]

It sounds like it. Why didn't your partner come down to help on the rundown?

[Pops]

It sounds like it. Why didn't your partner come down to help on the rundown?

I think it happened so fast that he thought I was going to get the out right away. In any event, that kind of stuff sometimes happens and you have to deal with it yourself.

[Stan W.]

Sounds like you got the call right...and thats important.....and you are right, sometimes when situations arise or when mechanics break down, you just have to umpire....

Now, in your postgame, this is a topic to be discussed......

[sdix00]

I am positive that I missed obstruction several times during rundowns. Not until I drilled rundowns for an hour in a clinic did I develop the active awareness of the possibility of obstruction and the ability to recognize what it looked like when it happened.

It happens so quickly and everyone is tangled up anyway. Now it's something I am actively aware of, rather than waiting until it finds me. On the throw and the runner's change of direction, I actively look to see that the runner gets a path.

It's just like balks, involuntary release, Batter Interference, etc. To the fans and coaches it just looks "weird". To us, we recognize it, qualify it, and call it exactly what it is.

Great job in the OP in getting it fixed. That is why this game needs umpires. Only a trained crew could get this right, let alone fix it properly.

[Pops]

I am positive that I missed obstruction several times during rundowns. Not until I drilled rundowns for an hour in a clinic did I develop the active awareness of the possibility of obstruction and the ability to recognize what it looked like when it happened.

It happens so quickly and everyone is tangled up anyway. Now it's something I am actively aware of, rather than waiting until it finds me. On the throw and the runner's change of direction, I actively look to see that the runner gets a path.

It's just like balks, involuntary release, Batter Interference, etc. To the fans and coaches it just looks "weird". To us, we recognize it, qualify it, and call it exactly what it is.

Great job in the OP in getting it fixed. That is why this game needs umpires. Only a trained crew could get this right, let alone fix it properly.

Yes it was quite a "tangle" of action. F4 had just released the ball after he knew he couldn't tag the runner who was only 2 feet in front of him. But the runner was so quick that he reversed direction before F4 could get out of the way. Since F4 did not have the ball, it had to be obstruction.

[carolinablue]

Like Dix I have learned to be prepared to call obstruction during a rundown since the likelyhood of it happening is increased. I've called it a couple of times and it always brings some complaints. It's a hard pill for the DC to swallow ,but the right call.

[yawetag]

Shouldn't an umpire's concentration be on the runner anyway? Without a runner, there can't be a tag. Sure, glance at the ball, but nothing bad can happen unless the runner's near the ball.

[humpire]

You're partner gave you a funny look? Pretty self-righteous for someone who was too lazy to hustle down the line to help you. Joking aside, I think that situations like these, where you have to change a call, are the hardest part of being an umpire. "At the end of the day" all that matters is getting the call right and it sounds like that's what you did. Good job, I've worked with too many guys who are too proud to change the call (albeit a correctable error) even when it is clear that they missed it.

[umpire78]

I was in B during a pick off attempt at first on R1. The runner was caught leaning, and it resulted in a rundown. My partner did not come out to help, so I had to watch the whole thing between first and second. After the tag on R1, I called him out. But he gave me a funny look and held up his hands as if to indicate that he should not be out. I then paused for just a second because something just didn't seem right to me.

I quickly replayed all the action back in my head. Did I really miss something here? My gut feeling told me I forgot to process something in the play. Then it came to me...the runner was getting up off the ground because he had been run into by F4 (without the ball) during the rundown.

But by now my partner had come out to discuss it with me and we decided to reverse the call to obstruction and give the runner second base. Now the DC comes out and the first thing out of his mouth is, "Was he out of the baseline?" WHAT?!?! What does that have to do with the play? Am I missing something here?

So after a series of irrelevant questions, the DC then asks, "Why did you originally call him out?" I told him I called him out on the tag play only and didn't consider the obstruction until my partner and I discussed it. He went back to the dugout and we played on.

Did I handle this correctly?

In talking with your partner (who, BTW, SHOULD have come down to take one end of the rundown IF there were no other runners on base), ask him: "Did you see any obstruction or interference?" If he says "yes" to either one, then YOU make the call because your partner dumped it in your lap. All you want from him is INFORMATION, the final call is yours.