Obstruction award?

[baseball1]

Runners on first and second...ground ball to F3 who looks at 2B for a potential play there but opts for the easier out on the BR at 1st. In the process of the play F5 fakes a tag on R2 who slides into second (obstruction) ... the runner hadn't reached 2B and probably wouldn't had advanced any further, would you award him 3rd and as a result awarded R1 home?

[mstaylor]

No, leave him at second but announce the obstruction and warn the fielder that it is an ejection next time. Make sure his coach knows that too. 

[Rich Ives]

Whether or not a fake tag is obstruction depends on what rules are in use.

 

If you think the runner from 2B would have continued on and scored then you can award it. Not likely with F3 holding the ball.

 

F5 should be warned if you are using rule set that makes a fake tag obstruction.

 

Normal base runner number convention on boards:  R1 is the runner who was on 1B at the time of the pitch. R2: 2B, etc.  It's much easier to picture.

[CricketChapman]

Following up on Rich, in FED you probably have OBS; in OBR, it's more than likely nothing.

[Rich Ives]

Following up on Rich, in FED you probably have OBS; in OBR, it's more than likely nothing.

 

FED and LL both consider a fake tag obstruction.

 

OBR does not.

[maven]

Something's wrong with the description of the case. R2 is fake tagged by F5 sliding into 2B? That must be wrong. Either R2 is sliding into 3B and fake tagged by F5 , or R1 is sliding into 2B and fake tagged by F6.

 

Either way, a fake tag is OBS in FED, and the award is 1 base minimum from the last legally touched base. For R2 that's 2B, and the award would give him 3B. Since he acquired 3B on the play and he was not likely to advance further, the OBS is ignored.

 

Same deal if we're talking about R1 sliding into a fake tag at 2B.

[Guest Guest]

• Thanks for the input...the runner sliding into 2B was left there and the runner who advanced from 2B to 3B stayed there as well...

[mstaylor]

Good catch Rich, I was assuming either LL or Fed but you are correct, OBR itself says nothing. Also, further bases can be awarded if the fake tag kept him from advancing.