You Make the call

[Magic]

This scenario was proposed to me. It is a High School game so Fed Rules.

R1, R2, two outs. As the pitcher is set to pitch to the batter, R2 breaks for third. F1 properly disengages the plate & throws to third to begin a rundown on R2. As R2 returns to second base in the rundown, he is obstructed by F6; at this point R1 is between first and second base & another rundown occurs, where he is ultimately tagged out.

Because obstruction is a delayed dead ball in FED, what takes precedence: The obstruction on R2, or the third out on R1?

Games worked 36

[maven]

Why would it matter? You'd only award 3B anyway.

[BuckeyeMike]

R2 is the only protected runner in this scenario, and you are correct, it is a delayed dead ball.   Hence, the continuing action on R1, which results in an out, stands. 

 

If the coach argues, you can place the runner at 3B per FED rules and then still call R1 out.  LOL.  

[Magic]

The argument is that you return R1 to 1st. And award R2 3rd. I told them that is completely wrong. But they seem to think they are right. And by they, I mean the powers that Be.

Games worked 36

[NovaScotiaBlue]

So you were overruled by off field personel???  

[goody14]

I could probably dream up a situation where the obstruction of one runner causes another runner to be put out as he is trying to advance (and he only tried to advance due to the obstruction).

 

This is not one of them. Seems like R1 was already trying for 2B when the obstruction occurred.  I have three outs.

[maven]

We can definitely have OBS affect multiple runners. When we award bases for such OBS, we need to nullify the act of OBS, and award bases to all runners accordingly. We can also nullify outs on other runners, so the proposed ruling is not totally bonkers.

 

It is, however, incorrect: R2 is going back to 2B when he's obstructed. Without the OBS, he'd have gotten there, and R1 would still have been out. So penalizing the OBS on R2 does not require nullifying R1's out. Since that's the 3rd out, the base award to R2 is moot.

 

Here's a different play where you can nullify an out due to OBS.

 

SITUATION: bases loaded, 2 outs. Batter hits a shot to the gap, runners advance. As R3 scores, R2 crashes into F5 and falls down. As he gets back up and goes to 3B, R1 is between 2B and 3B and must retreat to 2B. The BR is at 2B already and has to retreat to 1B, where he is put out.

 

RULING: F5 has obstructed R2 and hindered the advance of the following runners, resulting in the out by BR. We therefore nullify that out, advance R2 to score, and award R1 and the BR the bases they would have acquired without the OBS (R1 might score unless he's slow, BR probably to 2B).

[grayhawk]

See Bill, we knew we were right all along.