Teachable - Rundown Obstruction is No Angel

After Braves runner Guillermo Heredia scored on obstruction by Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz, we received an Ask the UEFL about 3B Umpire Angel Hernandez's call: was this really obstruction? Tmac put together a Teachable to help unravel the rundown mystery in Atlanta.

Play & Call: With one out and two on (R1, R2), Braves batter Ozzie Albies hit a ground ball to Nats first baseman Josh Bell, who stepped on first and threw to second base (thus removing the force play), ensnaring trailing baserunner R1 Orlando Arcia in a rundown between first and second. As this was happening, Braves lead runner R2 Heredia broke for home plate, drawing a throw and setting up a rundown between third and home. Heredia ultimately collided with Washington catcher Ruiz, drawing an obstruction call from 3B Umpire Hernandez.

Analysis: This is an example of Obstruction Type 1 (formerly Type A), a runner obstructed while a play is being made on the runner. Official Baseball Rule 6.01(h)(1) states: "If a play is being made on the obstructed runner, or if the batter-runner is obstructed before they touch first base, the ball is dead and all runners shall advance, without liability to be put out, to the bases they would have reached, in the umpire’s judgment, if there had been no obstruction. The obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base they had last legally touched before the obstruction."

By contrast, Type 2 obstruction (OBR 6.01(h)(2)) applies to a situation wherein a runner is obstructed while no play is being made on said runner (e.g., a batted ball is rolling toward the outfield wall while R1 is obstructed rounding second base) and states that runners are awarded bases pursuant to a nullify-the-act-of-obstruction principle. 

On Type 1 obstruction, the ball is immediately dead.

On Type 2 obstruction, the ball is dead at the end of the play.

Thus, R2 Heredia is automatically awarded home plate while R1 Arcia is given the base he would have reached had there been no obstruction. In real-time, this turned out to be an award of third base while on video replay, it looks as if R1 Arcia might more properly have been placed at second base.

OBR vs NCAA vs NFHS: In OBR (and NCAA), Obstruction Type 1 results in an immediate dead ball while Type 2 keeps the ball alive until conclusion of play. NFHS likes to keep things alive for all obstruction cases until the natural conclusion of play.

Sidebar: Regardless, another question we were asked pertains to R2 Heredia's base path and whether any infraction occurred here relative to the baseline. The answer is that R2 ran legally. Remember, "A runner’s base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely" (OBR 5.09(b)(1)). Thus, Heredia's base path effectively resets each time a new Nats player throws the ball to a teammate and is established anew when the new fielder receives the ball and engages in an attempt to tag (e.g., chase) the runner (a baseline is just a line on the ground that doesn't mean much other than fair/foul and a certain intentional interference by retired runner rule).

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Ask & Teach - Nats-Braves Rundown Obstruction Leaves No Angels (CCS)