What to do when catcher is obstructing.

So my oldest got thrown out at home and said the catcher was obstructing. DD said she was straddling the line. DD went outside to go around and the throw came in right behind her and she was tagged in the back. Question I have is what would you teach? Run through her? Go inside and disrupt the throw? I showed her this FSU WCWS play but I dont like the headfirst dive for sure. Thoughts?

Filterbing said:

Run through her?

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Anything but that. Go around. Slide. Give yourself up. Those are your choices. I like 'em In that order.

A good question.

No, I don't like that head-first dive even during the WCWS. Very bad and permanent things can happen with that.

No, you can't "run through" the catcher, either. Not even in MLB is this allowable anymore. Malicious contact overrides obstruction, and she could get called out AND ejected.

If there really is obstruction, any effort to get to the bag without blowing up the catcher should work out. I recommend full speed and direct to the bag, if possible, while sliding. If she can hook in just off line, that's fine as well. If she simply has no path and has to slide early, then that really helps the obstruction argument, doesn't it? I've seen this play out with DD's team. Our runner slid early, did make contact with the catcher (which is acceptable if there nothing obviously malicious going on), never touched Home, was tagged, but was called safe because of obstruction.

Hard slide, directly into the plate. If the catcher happens to be in the way and contact is made that's just part of the game. What WILL get you ejected is going in standing up and making contact. It seems to me like I see obstruction called less when the player goes out of their way to make a wide slide and reach a hand or foot towards a corner of the plate (this all assumes that the catcher IS obstructing and blocking the plate).

If catcher is blocking the plate without the ball, run through them. An object with velocity generally plants an object standing still. And you're more likely to get hurt trying to avoid or lessen contact with the catcher than you will be running them over
The catcher standing in front of the ate without the ball is the one that is instigating the contact. Baserunner only has one place to go and their job is to get they as fast as possible

Schmick's Gloves said:

If catcher is blocking the plate without the ball, run through them. An object with velocity generally plants an object standing still. And you're more likely to get hurt trying to avoid or lessen contact with the catcher than you will be running them over
The catcher standing in front of the ate without the ball is the one that is instigating the contact. Baserunner only has one place to go and their job is to get they as fast as possible

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No that’s how the right thing. Trucking a catcher will get the runner tossed out of the game. And when the coach argues that is how he taught her he will probably be tossed as well.

Schmick's Gloves said:

If catcher is blocking the plate without the ball, run through them. An object with velocity generally plants an object standing still. And you're more likely to get hurt trying to avoid or lessen contact with the catcher than you will be running them over
The catcher standing in front of the ate without the ball is the one that is instigating the contact. Baserunner only has one place to go and their job is to get they as fast as possible

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Huh, you're most likely to get hurt running over the catcher, and as a umpire, I'd throw you out for malicious contact. As for the OP, sounds like the umpire didn't make the call, if a runner is hindered from running a baseline due to the catcher blocking the plate, that's obstruction, whether she has to slow down or move to the side, that's it.

It's not the base runners responsibility to avoid an obstructing defender and you can not determine intent, the only thing a baserunner needs to avoid hitting or being hit by is the ball. Baseruuners head is down and they're full speed to the plate and any defender is standing in the way without possessing the ball, contact is the defenders fault, not the base runners.

If defender has the ball and baserunner trucks them, it's the baserunners fault
If defender does not have the ball and baserunner trucks them, it's the defenders fault
So the only thing the baserunner needs to avoid is the ball.... or who ever has possession of it.

Schmick's Gloves said:

It's not the base runners responsibility to avoid an obstructing defender and you can not determine intent, the only thing a baserunner needs to avoid hitting or being hit by is the ball. Baseruuners head is down and they're full speed to the plate and any defender is standing in the way without possessing the ball, contact is the defenders fault, not the base runners.

If defender has the ball and baserunner trucks them, it's the baserunners fault
If defender does not have the ball and baserunner trucks them, it's the defenders fault
So the only thing the baserunner needs to avoid is the ball.... or who ever has possession of it.

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You must be 85 years old or something....."In my day, we'd truck em!" If you run into a catcher with or without the ball, and knock her over, that's malicious contact, you're thrown out of the game......Read the rulebook, man!

Schmick's Gloves said:

If catcher is blocking the plate without the ball, run through them. An object with velocity generally plants an object standing still. And you're more likely to get hurt trying to avoid or lessen contact with the catcher than you will be running them over
The catcher standing in front of the ate without the ball is the one that is instigating the contact. Baserunner only has one place to go and their job is to get they as fast as possible

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You must be joking.

I'll make that assumption, or else I'd have to call this the dumbest thing I've ever seen posted in this forum.