Very close play. This would be a tough call to make in "real time" without the benefit of multiple instant replays.
This call will boil down to the judgment of the umpire. If he judges that the runner impeded the fielder's chance to field the ball, then it would be interference. The first baseman definitely did have to check up and alter her path to the ball because of the runner's position and presence.
Some things you might have to consider...
- At the point when the first baseman did check up, was she at that point in the act of fielding the ball? She is still some distance away from it when she stops to go around the runner. It would be possible to judge that she was not yet in the act of fielding the ball and had no chance to make a play. This is a fine hair to split and a tough call to make in real time at full speed.
To me, it is close enough that the fielder should get the benefit of the doubt. She starts making a straight path to the ball and, if the runner wasn't where she was, would have probably had a play.
- It is possible that an umpire could judge that the catcher was the fielder with a better chance of fielding the ball. She was just as close, if not closer, than the first baseman.
If two fielders are trying to field a batted ball, then only one of them is afforded protection from an interference call- the one that the umpire judges had the most likely and reasonable chance to make the play. If the umpire were to judge that the catcher was most likely to make the play, then this would be obstruction by the first baseman.
Again, this is a fine hair to split in real time. When F3 checked up, F2 was pretty close to the ball and seemed to have a shot at it. Then for some reason, F2 seems to pull up before going all out for the ball. That might persuade an umpire to judge that she was not in the act of fielding the ball.
- Forget about the runner's baseline or the three-foot running lane. Neither have any bearing on this play.
The only time a runner is restricted to a certain baseline, or basepath, is when a fielder has the ball and is attempting to tag the runner. That's not the case here, so the runner isn't restricted to any given line and can take any path she chooses to the base.
The three-foot running lane only applies when there is a throw to first base, which doesn't apply here either.
- Interference does not require contact, nor does it require intent. Runners can, and often do, accidentally interfere and it's still interference just the same. The bottom line is that on a batted ball the fielder always has the right of way and the runner always has the responsibility to avoid hindering, impeding or disrupting the fielder's chance to field the ball.