Tigers' Short Obstructs Marlins' Berti During Rundown

Marlins baserunner Jon Berti stole second and advanced to third base on an obstruction error by Tigers second baseman Zack Short when Short failed to get out of the way during a rundown, resulting in a collision when Berti stepped or fell backward into a sidestepping Short. Was 3B Umpire Jansen Visconti's obstruction ruling the correct call?

The rulebook's definition of terms states that "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."

Recall that by rule, the fielder has the right of way during a batted ball while the runner has the right of way at any other time (which includes during rundowns). Accordingly, this collision—though physically caused by the runner—is nonetheless the fielder's fault because the fielder was no longer in possession of the ball when it occurred and he stood in a location the runner attempted to access while running the bases.

The exception here would be if the runner Berti clearly and intentionally went out of his way to collide with the fielder, but to prove this requires multiple strides toward the fielder, not simply one step or fall backwards. The fielder Short had no body control when he attempted to sidestep baserunner Berti without the ball and, thus, the collision is his responsibility.

This is not basketball where who gets to the spot first or being set is relevant: all that matters is that the fielder did not have the ball and impeded the runner during a rundown. This is Obstruction Type 1 (Type A) as in Official Baseball Rule 6.01(h)(1) and the obstructed runner is thus awarded the next base—third base.

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Berti and Short collide on the bases because Short can't get out of the way