Obstruction Calls Are Frustrating

Most of the time when I see an obstruction call on a tag play, I don't agree with it. I saw two obstruction calls over the weekend that I didn't really care for. I suppose they were "right" by the rule book, but they just don't seem "right."

The first one was on a short stop. She was coming over to cover 2nd base on a steal. She never did stop moving. She was running from her short stop position, then had to jump because the ball was thrown high from the catcher. After she caught the ball she landed and tried to apply a tag to the runner who actually got her hand in to the base before the tag was applied. The short stop got called for obstruction. I mean, really, she jumped where she had to jump to catch the high throw from the catcher and is she really supposed to have that much control over where and how she lands? As if she decided on the way down to put herself in the perfect spot to block the runner. It's not like she was sitting in the base path blocking the bag prior to the jump, so the call couldn't have been made because of that. The only thing I can think of is that she came down from her jump in the base path, but by then she has the ball and is trying to apply a tag. Anyway - I didn't really care for that call. In that case, the runner was actually safe even without the obstruction call, but I just didn't think it should have been called at all.

Then, the other play I saw was at the plate. A fly ball was hit to centerfield and the baserunner at 3rd tagged up. So obviously, the ball was on it's way to the runner as soon as the catch was made. Seeing as how the runner couldn't leave 3rd until the ball was caught, the ball was definitely on it's way to the catcher by the time the runner was half way home. The throw was right on line and the catcher didn't have to move to catch it (well attempt to catch it, she ended up missing the ball because the ball and the runner got there at the same time). So it's not as if she's occupying the spot she was in just to block the plate even though the ball was somewhere else. The ball was in flight heading right AT her. She was exactly where she needed to be to catch that ball and yet she was called for obstruction. Again, the runner would have been safe even without the call, but again, I didn't care much for the call.

The other obstruction call I saw recently was the short stop going over to cover a steal to 3rd. Again the short stop was on the run the entire time, basically raced the runner to 3rd, caught the ball on the run then applied the tag and she gets called for obstruction. Her momentum from running over from her position actually carried her almost over and beyond the bag itself. So I really don't see how she "blocked" any part of it when she was on the move the entire time and ended up beyond the "front" of the bag by the time she stopped. Ironically, this was the same player (the SS) who was told the inning before that she had been in the wrong as a baserunner by staying in the base path and going directly into a bag because she didn't give the defender the lane to make another play. So as a baserunner she had been told she had to give up the base path to a defender and as a defender she was told she had to give up the base path to the runner. But that's getting a little off topic.

Back to the obstruction calls.....Seriously, the defense is there to DEFEND their bases. Why should they have to just give the runner an open lane to the bag? Why should they make it easy for the runner to get to the bag quickly? Why should they have to put themselves in a position where they need to reach to make a tag? If they ARE in the basepath, that means there's a whole outside or inside that's open. If they have a big enough frame to take up a path wider than that with their legs, then most times there's a good space right under them. OR you learn the art of going straight for ONE of those legs so that you don't get completely blocked and can still reach the base. All I know is that when I was playing it was my job as a runner going into the base to get to that base wherever the opening was and I loved the challenge. I didn't see the problem with that. If the defender made it tough, heck, then they did a good job DEFENDING their bag. If I was so dead blocked, then I probably deserved to be out because the ball really did BEAT me there. If I'm getting there before the ball or at the same time as the ball I really should be able to find a way to the bag before the tag is applied. That's why we learned to slide way outside or way inside and reach in to touch the base. That's why when my runners are trying to steal second, I tell them to slide stay "outside" (on the outfield side of the base path). You don't just slide right into the defender who's trying to get you out and make it easy for them. But now days it seems like that's what you should do because they'd probably get called for obstruction and you'd be safe.

The only obstruction calls I ever see that I totally agree with are the ones where the defenders interfere with a runner's progress or running path and they don't even have a ball or have a ball coming to them. For example, when a batter hits a ball to the gap outfield and is rounding first (ball still in the outfield) and the first baseman is in the way. Or maybe a runner is running around the bases and an infielder going out to set up for a cut gets in the way and disrupts their running path, then yes, by all means make and obstruction call. But I think most of those bang-bang tag plays really should be left alone. Even if they're not so bang-bang because if you're really there that much ahead of the ball, you should be able to find a way to the base. If the ball is that far ahead of you, the defender shouldn't have to move off to the side to give you a lane and then try to apply a tag.