First Baseman's Right to Catch the Ball

[BHaines]

This weekend, i witnessed a play involving a first baseman and a batter running to first base that confused the heck out of me. In this case, there was a white first base and an orange safety base for the runner. The batter hit the ball to the third baseman, who then threw the ball to first base. The throw was off target up the first baseline causing the first baseman to stretch up the line towards home plate to make the catch. The first baseman still had her foot on the white base. The runner beat the throw ( she went to the orange safety base) but was then awarded second base by the plate umpire. When catching the ball (foot still on the white base) the first baseman's elbow and the shoulder of the runner clipped one another. Due to this, the home plate umpire called defensive interference and awarded the runner second base.

The coach of the first baseman argued that there was no interference, as the first baseman has the right to catch the thrown ball and since the runner was safe, there shouldn't be an award of an extra base. This play involved minimal contact between the fielder and the runner. Actually, had the runner been a little slower, the first baseman could have tagged the runner going to first as the off target throw took the first baseman up the line toward the runner. Any ideas on whether awarding an extra base was the right call or not?

 

[FastBat]

I don't think this situation has anything to do with the white/orange base. But, that's just there to avoid collisions.

If that is exactly what happened, I think it would not be defensive obstruction. But, it does sound like some of those home plate plays, where the defensive player sets up at the plate and there isn't an actual play, then they cause obstruction. Mind you, if the ball is thrown, and the first baseman doesn't adjust to where the ball is thrown and won't get out of the baseline, it's still obstruction even if the ball was thrown. (Example: the ball was thrown 17 feet down first baseline, she couldn't have gotten the ball at all and just stood there with the "a deer in headlights" look.)

With the defensive obstruction (what first baseman did), the ump holds defensive obstruction (arm straight out) until runner gets to the base she should have gotten to without the obstruction. Could the batter-runner have advanced to second base? If so, obstruction should have been called and obstruction did happen and she would be awarded her base. The ump can call obstruction, but the runner may not get the base because the obstruction did not hinder the runner getting to the base she could have gotten to.


Obstruction- an act by which a fielder hinders or impedes the batter or runner, provided that the fielder is not fielding a batted ball or if he is not in possession of the ball.

Interference- a runner interferes with a thrown ball or when he interferes with a fielder who is trying to field a batted ball.

 

[Comp]

Offense interferes, defense obstructs. It would appear the umpire called obstruction on F3 but may have been a baseball umpire doing softball. Baseball as I recall awards an automatic base on any obstruction, softball does not. The obstruction rule is not a punitive rule, it is simply to correct anything the defense may have cost the offense by obstructing them. The award is the base or bases any runners would have reached if not for the obstruction.

The defense only has the rights to be in a runners way in 2 instances. Fielding a batted ball, and actually being in possession of the ball. The defense has no rights to a thrown ball. If an errant throw pulls a defender into the path of a runner and causes them to slow down, change direction etc it is obstruction.

 

[FastBat]

My son plays baseball, plus I was the head ump for our local BB/SB league with a LL sanctioning body. My son also plays travel BB, the ump will hold obstruction and award bases, based on how far the runner advances after obstruction, it's not automatic in BB either. The BB coaches can get pretty mad about obstruction, they just forget to physically turn their heads and look to the umps for it, at times it's hard to watch.