obstruction

[ump570]

R1, 2 outs. Batter hits a hard ground ball just to the right of the second baseman, ball rolls into centerfield, 2nd baseman then turns toward 2nd base and runs right into the runner about 10 ft. from the bag, between 1st and second. I signal obstruction and verbalize. As the ball is coming in from centerfield, 3rd base coach tells his runner to come to third. The kid is running to 3rd, throw comes in way before he gets there, and the coach says, "Don't worry, stay up, you'll be safe." Runner gets tagged, and I call him out. Well, here comes the SH*#storm. 3rd base coach yells, "That's obstruction! He should be safe!" I tell the coach, "The obstruction occured between 1st and 2nd, and I only had the runner protected as far as second base. I don't have him making it the 3rd on that play." He told me I was wrong and that I need to study the rule.

 

I realize that I could have given him 3rd if I thought he could have made it, but to me it was cut and dry station to station type play. It wasn't a gapper, and the centerfielder got the ball in right away. The contact didn't knock the kid over or anything. It slowed him down a little but in my mind not enough to warrant protection all the way to 3rd. Did I make the right call here? The coach was adamant that I didn't apply the rule correctly. Of course, coaches know everything.

[zoops]

Certainly a HTBT.  Your call (and rule application) sounds acceptable to me, but I would say that if it was a fairly close play at third I would probably give the offense the benefit of the doubt here.  If he was out by 15 feet, I'd probably call him out.  The coach didn't know the rule properly (shocker) and it cost his team.  

[BigUmp56]

It's a judgment call, and it's yours to make.  I'd have quoted 7.06 (b) for him and asked him what part of shall awared base (s) IF ANY that will nullify the act of the obstruction he doesn't understand.

 

Tim

[UmpJM]

ump570,

 

As described, you got it exactly right.

 

Coach doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

And if he tells me "you need to study the rules", we'll be having a little follow-up conversation that might not end well for him.

 

JM

[Larry in TN]

Type B obstruction, delayed dead ball.  You determine how far the runner would have gone if he had not been obstructed.  Any advance past that base is at the runners own risk.  Can't argue a judgement call.

[stl_ump]

Type B obstruction, delayed dead ball.  You determine how far the runner would have gone if he had not been obstructed.  Any advance past that base is at the runners own risk.  Can't argue a judgement call.

Sure you can... but it won't get you very far.  Of course that depends on how far away the parking lot is.

[BigUmp56]

ump570,

 

As described, you got it exactly right.

 

Coach doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

And if he tells me "you need to study the rules", we'll be having a little follow-up conversation that might not end well for him.

 

JM

 

 

John,

 

You need to study the rules!

 

You'll have to come to an ND game with us this season to have the follow up conversation...

 

 

Tim

[mstaylor]

Sounds like you have the understanding of the rule quite well. Watch the obstruction clip in the Professional section and you will see the umpire correctly announce the obstruction, the runner incorrectly assume he gets third automatically and the defense incorrectly assume the same thing. By doing so they failed to play on the runner, who they could have easily thrown out because he simply trotted to third.