Bretman - give me some help

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Got a unique one (I think) for you guys.

Bases loaded, batter swings and barely hits ball down third base line, catcher goes to field the ball, touches it, but drops it. Runner then runs into catcher, gets knocked to the side, catcher picks up ball and tags runner. Any interference/obstruction call from Blue?

 

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I'll give this a shot...

Got a unique one (I think) for you guys.

Bases loaded, batter swings and barely hits ball down third base line, catcher goes to field the ball, touches it...

Well, if she touched it foul you can stop right there!

Assuming it was touched fair...

..then drops it...

F2 had her unimpeded chance to field the ball. After she dropped it, she is no longer in the act of fielding the ball.

Runner then runs into catcher, gets knocked to the side, catcher picks up ball and tags runner. Any interference/obstruction call from Blue?

You have a fielder no longer in the act of fielding a batted ball, and not in possession of the ball. As long as the runner was simply trying to advance to the next base (ie: didn't go out of her way to purposely contact the defender), now you have an obstructed runner.

When the runner is tagged out the ball becomes dead. The umpire then awards the runner whichever base he judges she would have reached had she not been obstructed. If he judges that she would have scored, then award home. If not, then place the runner back on third.

 

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So if an infielder drops a pop up and i bending over to pick it up, I should instruct my girls to truck the fielder since they would be guilty of obstruction?

 

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So if an infielder drops a pop up and i bending over to pick it up, I should instruct my girls to truck the fielder since they would be guilty of obstruction?

"Truck the fielder" implies that the runner intentionally and forcefully contacts the defender. No, you should never instruct your players to do that.

What I'm picturing from the first post is the catcher moving into the path of an otherwise legally advancing runner.

 

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"Truck the fielder" implies that the runner intentionally and forcefully contacts the defender. No, you should never instruct your players to do that.

Truck the Fielder?????......this is coming from a coach????????.....wow

 

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The ball was fair, and the catcher didn't move after attempting to field the ball. It was directly down third base line, the catcher scoops with glove, glove stays on ground, but ball pops out about three inches in front of glove, at that exact moment, the runner hits the outside shoulder of fielder and pops off to the side, the catcher retrieves ball front three inches in front of her glove and tags her out. It all happened within a millisecond. The play was made about 10 feet down the 3rd base line.

If it is obstruction, are you saying after the fielder attempts to field the ball, they then have to yield to the runner and not try to continue the play if they misplay the original attempt?

 

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It seems to me that if it happened that quick, the runner would be at fault because the fielder was still in the act of fielding the ball and shouldn't the runner be on the outside of the foul line some at least to help avoid a tag.

This is somewhat similar to what I experienced over the weekend, where all the calls were against the runners.

What was the call from the Ump?

 

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Fielders making an initial play on a batted ball that they bobble have the right to a step and reach protection from runners

 

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Had something very similar happen a couple of years ago in high school ball only it was a ball hit to the second baseman and the runner was going first to second. Ground ball went into the fielder's glove momentarily but popped out and rolled 2-3 feet away. She went after it and there was a collision. After about a 10 minute conversation among the umpires and consulting the rule book, they determined that the fielder had not been given the opportunity to complete her play on the ball and the runner was ruled out. In the case stated above, it does not sound to me as though the fielder had an unimpeded chance to field the ball.

 

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Fielders making an initial play on a batted ball that they bobble have the right to a step and reach protection from runners

Yes, that is a high school/NFHS rule and interpretation (ball within step and reach = fielder still making the initial play).

At this point of the season, I assume this was not a high school game.

I don't belive you'll find that same "step and reach" provision in ASA. The fielders "unimpeded chance to field the ball" was the first time the ball hit her glove, then popped out.

 

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This is why the Bretman is the man.
He even knows the rules and rulings for all sanctioning bodies.........BAM
Simply amazing.

 

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I saw the play from behind the back stop at about the same angle the umpire had and to me it looked like the contact caused the ball to come out, then both ladies were entangled on the ground, the catcher dug the ball out from under them and made the tag. I thought Blue made the right call but the fire shooting from the coach's nose and ears after was 100% pure entertainment :lmao:

 

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well bill fire shooting was entertaining but your depiction is innaccurate the catcher reached for ball missed it then tagged runner after tagged runner quickly picked ball up and tagged, not that one run made huge difference in that game but phantom tags are obstruction intentional a
or not. same umpire told me earlier in game that batter dropped bat on ball after bunt was not intentional so was ok. i asked him if ball struck bat or bat struck ball he told me bat struck ball but not on purpose so did not matter i said so if my pitcher hits a batter with ball as long as its not on purpose she does not get a free base??????

 

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dont be pickin on my buddy bud either lol

 

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we all have our moments in travel i have been entertained many times by parents and coaches. i watched a parent at all sanction world series couple years ago after a loss in championship follow umpire to his car yelling at him all the way thru berliner park.

 

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Doesn't "defensive player being in the base path" somehow weigh into all of this?

 

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This one has me baffled. There seems to be some contradictory accounts of exactly what happened, but assuming the catcher was in the base path and made a play on the ball and happened to drop it, you are saying that when the runner collides with her immediately thereafter it would be obstruction??? If so, that's just a stupid rule. If she hadn't dropped it and tagged her out on the collision, that's not obstruction. Isn't there some responsibility on the part of the runner to avoid a collision when a play is being made on the ball??? Otherwise, you're just encouraging a collision ... really???

 

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If the original contact occurred under legal conditions, (i.e. the catcher had the ball when the runner arrived, then whatever happens after that is up to the two players. The runner should try to score. The catcher should try to pick up the ball and tag her. The only "foul" that could occur is if the catcher were to grab or intentionally impede the runner while trying to pick up the ball and make another play. This happens all the time on plays at the plate. There's a collision between catcher with ball and runner trying to score. Catcher has plate blocked. Runner causes ball to be dropped, but didn't get to the plate. Catcher goes for ball. Runner goes for plate. Ump waits to see what happens. If runner touches plate before catcher gathers ball and tags her, then she's safe. If not, then she's out. There's no interference or obstruction. From the way the original play was described, I'd say if the runner was still in a position to contact the fielder after a bobble, then the runner had plenty of time to avoid the fielder in the first place-- as she should have.

 

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Truth ... that makes more sense to me, but I know rules don't always make sense ...

 

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You got me there Jason! That was when I was much younger and less mature ;&