Obstruction on pickoff at 2B

[grayhawk]

Varsity game on Friday. I'm BU in C with R2. The pitcher makes a good reverse pivot move to try and pick off the runner. I drop step and turn with the throw. I see F4 has dropped to a knee and is blocking the entire bag with his lower leg and R2 has dived back trying to reach the base. F4 receives the throw and easily tags the runner. I pause for what seems like a long second to digest what I just saw and decide that F4 could not have received the ball prior to blocking the base and call obstruction, time, and then award R2 third base.

DC doesn't like it, comes out and says his player had the ball and I tell him, "I had him blocking the base before he received the throw." He disagreed and we play on. 2 pitches later, the batter singles and drives in his team's only run of the game in a losing effort.

After the game, my partner agreed that it was obstruction.

What are you looking for on a play like this? It happens so fast and as BU, you don't have the benefit of seeing the whole play develop since you can't turn until F1 releases the throw. Replaying it in my mind, I think seeing F4 receiving the throw when he has already dropped a knee was what tipped the scales for me. If I see him moving towards that position as he receives the throw, then it looks legal in that spilt second. I know, sometimes you just have to umpire.

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[maven]

I agree that this is a difficult play to officiate. In fact, it is difficult even in 3- and 4-umpire, for the reasons you mention. Consequently, any benefit of the doubt must go to the defense here: since we cannot observe the OBS develop, we have to rely on picking it up at the last second.

 

However, we CAN pick it up at the last second: when you turn to see the play at 2B, you can read the fielder and determine whether he is already blocking the base. If you judge that he clearly is denying all access to the base, then call the OBS.

 

Good job pausing a second to process what you saw.

 

Edited to add: this is really only an issue for FED, which prohibits the fielder blocking the base without the ball. In OBR, the fielder may legally block the base without the ball if a play is imminent, as it surely is on a pickoff.

[VAUmp]

I would just slow down and process what I saw.  That sounds like what you did.  Good call!

[johnnyg08]

Way to have the guts to make the call.  Nice work.

[Dash Riprock]

Good job all around, including calling the obstruction before calling time.

 

This would be OBS in NCAA as well.

[umpstu]

Good job, brother.

[ricka56]

Like VAump said, good timing gave your brain the time to digest what your eyes had seen.

 

Timing

[T-Rav]

If this is OBR rules we would have an out on this situation, correct? 

[Rich Ives]

If this is OBR rules we would have an out on this situation, correct? 

 

OBR

 

If a fielder is about to receive a thrown ball and if the ball is in flight directly toward and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball he may be considered “in the act of fielding a ball.â€

 

Everybody reads the underscored part.  No one reads the bolded part.

 

So does the fielder need to be kneeling in front of the base to receive the ball?

[alex7]

Varsity game on Friday. I'm BU in C with R2. The pitcher makes a good reverse pivot move to try and pick off the runner. I drop step and turn with the throw. I see F4 has dropped to a knee and is blocking the entire bag with his lower leg and R2 has dived back trying to reach the base. F4 receives the throw and easily tags the runner. I pause for what seems like a long second to digest what I just saw and decide that F4 could not have received the ball prior to blocking the base and call obstruction, time, and then award R2 third base.

DC doesn't like it, comes out and says his player had the ball and I tell him, "I had him blocking the base before he received the throw." He disagreed and we play on. 2 pitches later, the batter singles and drives in his team's only run of the game in a losing effort.

After the game, my partner agreed that it was obstruction.

What are you looking for on a play like this? It happens so fast and as BU, you don't have the benefit of seeing the whole play develop since you can't turn until F1 releases the throw. Replaying it in my mind, I think seeing F4 receiving the throw when he has already dropped a knee was what tipped the scales for me. If I see him moving towards that position as he receives the throw, then it looks legal in that spilt second. I know, sometimes you just have to umpire.

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did the runner slide into the leg as the tag was being applied, or was the tag out ahead of the leg and base because he was out by so much?  curious, thanks.

[Thunderheads]

Great call Steve, ...this is FED OBS all day long.  Way to pause, digest it, and make the gutsy call!

[grayhawk]

Varsity game on Friday. I'm BU in C with R2. The pitcher makes a good reverse pivot move to try and pick off the runner. I drop step and turn with the throw. I see F4 has dropped to a knee and is blocking the entire bag with his lower leg and R2 has dived back trying to reach the base. F4 receives the throw and easily tags the runner. I pause for what seems like a long second to digest what I just saw and decide that F4 could not have received the ball prior to blocking the base and call obstruction, time, and then award R2 third base.

DC doesn't like it, comes out and says his player had the ball and I tell him, "I had him blocking the base before he received the throw." He disagreed and we play on. 2 pitches later, the batter singles and drives in his team's only run of the game in a losing effort.

After the game, my partner agreed that it was obstruction.

What are you looking for on a play like this? It happens so fast and as BU, you don't have the benefit of seeing the whole play develop since you can't turn until F1 releases the throw. Replaying it in my mind, I think seeing F4 receiving the throw when he has already dropped a knee was what tipped the scales for me. If I see him moving towards that position as he receives the throw, then it looks legal in that spilt second. I know, sometimes you just have to umpire.

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did the runner slide into the leg as the tag was being applied, or was the tag out ahead of the leg and base because he was out by so much? curious, thanks.

I saw him trying to find a place to reach the bag before the tag was applied. His hand was on F4's leg when F4 tagged him.

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[noumpere]

DC doesn't like it, comes out and says his player had the ball

translation:  You caught us cheating but I have to make it look good for the fans.