After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no. The obstruction rule bans unsanctioned collisions on the basepaths by preventing defensive players from blocking the passage of the baserunners. If a play is being made on the obstructed baserunner, the ball is ruled dead and the umpire can place all runners on the base he determines they would have reached without. Baseball rules are numerous and two of the most difficult are the rules governing interference and obstruction. In this clip, you decide if the umpire should call obstruction, interference, or. According to the official rule book, obstruction is defined as 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. 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. The wild ending to game 3 of the world series prompted plenty of questions over the obstruction call that led to the cardinals walkoff win. Type a obstruction occurs when a play is being made on the obstructed runner, or if the batterrunner is obstructed before he touches first base. Ours is the best rules index out there, and far more comprehensive that the index in the obr rule book the umpirebible blog.
The ruling of a dead ball halts the game and no plays can legally occur until the umpire resumes. Former mlb pitcher ryan dempster and former stolen base champ harold reynolds discuss in studio 42. Obstruction is also among the terms defined in rule 2. The following is a very basic illustration of the difference between offensive interference and defensive obstruction in baseball. 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. In other words, this means that the defensive team is trying to make a defensive play on a player without possession of the ball. The infield shall be graded so that the base lines and home plate are level. The mlb obstruction rule that ended game 3 for the win. A comprehensive index listing baseball terms, rules, and topics with links to the appropriate obr rules. A distance of 320 feet or more along the foul lines, and 400 feet or more to center field is prefer able. Obstruction describes an act by a fielder, who is not in possession of the ball or in the process of fielding it, that impedes the baserunners progress. We want to bring you the most uptodate, informative and exciting baseball information. This post will deal with the intricacies of the rule for those of you who may find the jargon used in mlb s official rules confusing. Heres the rulebook definition, found in definitions obstruction.