Obstruction on F1 Fielding a Batted Ball on 1B Line

[Mudder]

OBR, I'm BU, Batter hits a squibber up the 1B line, rolling almost directly on the line, F1 is ranging over to field the ball, he picks it up maybe 4 or 5 feet from 1B, straddling the line, with his back toward the runner who is only a couple of steps behind him, coming hard.  F1 fields the ball cleanly and instead of flipping it to F3 he decides to take it himself.  

He takes 2, maybe 3 steps, toward 1B and steps on the bag for the out, by now the BR is directly behind F1, practically touching him.  There was no collision

Offensive coach is asking for obstruction on F1 saying his runner had to slow down cause F1 was in his way, after he fielded the ball.

I know F1 is protected to field the ball, but does that protection end once he's fielded the ball, or in this case would it continue until he took the couple of steps, directly in front of the runner, to reach the base?

[kylehutson]

One of the requirements of obstruction is that the obstructing fielder cannot have the ball. Once he has the ball he can do anything he likes (get in the way, stop, whatever) and it's not obstruction.

[maven]

41 minutes ago, Mudder said:

I know F1 is protected to field the ball, but does that protection end once he's fielded the ball, or in this case would it continue until he took the couple of steps, directly in front of the runner, to reach the base?

I'd bet that you can answer this question yourself, if you ask yourself, "protection from what"?

The coach has no grounds for complaint: by rule the runner MUST slow down or otherwise avoid a protected fielder, or risk INT.

[Rich Ives]

1 hour ago, Mudder said:

OBR, I'm BU, Batter hits a squibber up the 1B line, rolling almost directly on the line, F1 is ranging over to field the ball, he picks it up maybe 4 or 5 feet from 1B, straddling the line, with his back toward the runner who is only a couple of steps behind him, coming hard.  F1 fields the ball cleanly and instead of flipping it to F3 he decides to take it himself.  

He takes 2, maybe 3 steps, toward 1B and steps on the bag for the out, by now the BR is directly behind F1, practically touching him.  There was no collision

Offensive coach is asking for obstruction on F1 saying his runner had to slow down cause F1 was in his way, after he fielded the ball.

I know F1 is protected to field the ball, but does that protection end once he's fielded the ball, or in this case would it continue until he took the couple of steps, directly in front of the runner, to reach the base?

If he has the ball he cannot be guilty of obstruction.

[pnewton]

Just to give the rule citation that agrees with the gentlemen that have already answered, this is the wording in the definitions of terms in the OBR book (what used to be rule 2 and is now randomly in the back):

 

OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner

<<Italics are mine, added for emphasis>>

[Rich Ives]

On 5/17/2016 at 8:23 PM, pnewton said:

Just to give the rule citation that agrees with the gentlemen that have already answered, this is the wording in the definitions of terms in the OBR book (what used to be rule 2 and is now randomly in the back):

 

OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner

<<Italics are mine, added for emphasis>>

Random? It's in a section titled Definition of Terms.