Obstruction rule clarification

[Rotatorcuff]

We were sent home early by this call:

ITB; runner on second. Batter/runner hits a low liner off of pitchers leg. Ball deflects towards third base. Short stop changes direction to field the ball and collides with base runner going from 2nd to 3rd. The ball remains in the infield. The catcher picks it up about 1/2 way down the 3rd base line.

Base umpire awards the runner going from 2 to 3 an extra base (home and a run scored), giving the team at bat the go ahead run.

UIC was called to explain the ruling. UIC said it was the base umps judgement that the runner going from 2 - 3 would have made it home had the obstruction not occured.

Common sense tells me the runner would have stayed at 3 with the catcher holding the ball on the 3B baseline. Anyways, common sense isn't mentioned in the rule book so there is lots of room for interpretation of how this call could have gone. It's all over now, so it really doesn't matter. Its just a shame a close game like this is left up to the decision of an umpire.

[wadeintothem]

We were sent home early by this call:

ITB; runner on second. Batter/runner hits a low liner off of pitchers leg. Ball deflects towards third base. Short stop changes direction to field the ball and collides with base runner going from 2nd to 3rd. The ball remains in the infield. The catcher picks it up about 1/2 way down the 3rd base line.

Base umpire awards the runner going from 2 to 3 an extra base (home and a run scored), giving the team at bat the go ahead run.

UIC was called to explain the ruling. UIC said it was the base umps judgement that the runner going from 2 - 3 would have made it home had the obstruction not occured.

Common sense tells me the runner would have stayed at 3 with the catcher holding the ball on the 3B baseline. Anyways, common sense isn't mentioned in the rule book so there is lots of room for interpretation of how this call could have gone. It's all over now, so it really doesn't matter. Its just a shame a close game like this is left up to the decision of an umpire.

You are probably right that the runner would not have made it and you assessment, but the rule is in fact that it is the umpire's judgment.

You had a BU and and UIC review the play and had the rule properly explained to you...

Not much more to be said, except score more runs and dont leave it up to an umpire to decide a game.

I doubt this is a (INT) deflected ball situation, since you indicated the hopeful result was F2 standing there with a ball as opposed to F6 having a chance at the out..

Although a coach versed in the rules may well have argued that to the UIC/BU....

[umpinva]

We were sent home early by this call:

ITB; runner on second. Batter/runner hits a low liner off of pitchers leg. Ball deflects towards third base. Short stop changes direction to field the ball and collides with base runner going from 2nd to 3rd. The ball remains in the infield. The catcher picks it up about 1/2 way down the 3rd base line.

Base umpire awards the runner going from 2 to 3 an extra base (home and a run scored), giving the team at bat the go ahead run.

UIC was called to explain the ruling. UIC said it was the base umps judgement that the runner going from 2 - 3 would have made it home had the obstruction not occured.

Common sense tells me the runner would have stayed at 3 with the catcher holding the ball on the 3B baseline. Anyways, common sense isn't mentioned in the rule book so there is lots of room for interpretation of how this call could have gone. It's all over now, so it really doesn't matter. Its just a shame a close game like this is left up to the decision of an umpire.

Common sense tells me that a routine fly ball will be caught, but that's not always what happens. Sometimes the fielder just duckfups the play with poor judgment.

Common sense tells me that a line shot to the gap will go for an extra base hit; all of a sudden the outfielder has covered the necessary distance and with good judgment makes a diving catch.

Had the umpire ruled to keep the runner at third, argument could have been made from the OC that had their been no collision the advancing runner would have scored.

Sometimes the game is more than judgment; sometimes it comes down to reality. Reality was the umpire judged the runner advancing on the hit pitch would have scored had F6 not collided with the runner.

[Skarp]

Sometimes the game is more than judgment; sometimes it comes down to reality. Reality was the umpire judged the runner advancing on the hit pitch would have scored had F6 not collided with the runner.

From 2nd on a ball that never left the infield?? Unless this was an 8U rec game, reality is that blue was in fantasy land.

[Bretman]

Yes, the base award on obstruction is umpire judgment. But just because it's judgment doesn't nesessarily mean it's good judgment.

The ball is picked up along the third base line, about 30 feet from the bag, the runner is coming into third and the the umpire judges the runner would have made it home?

Sounds like the bad kind of judgment!

[umpinva]

Sometimes the game is more than judgment; sometimes it comes down to reality. Reality was the umpire judged the runner advancing on the hit pitch would have scored had F6 not collided with the runner.

From 2nd on a ball that never left the infield?? Unless this was an 8U rec game, reality is that blue was in fantasy land.

Reality is that the land this blue was on was this particular softball field where his judgment became final. The OP did not include a level of play. Based on the description of the OP, perhaps it was not the best judgment regardless of the level of play.

As Wadeinthem correctly mentioned, the rule is in fact that it is the umpire's judgment

[retiredref]

The reality is that anything can happen.

Two top varsity teams going at it Wednesday afternoon when a pop up (only about 10 feet high) comes down between the back of the circle and the second baseman. By the time the second baseman picked it up, the runner from second scored!!!