Catcher hit by back swing...batter awarded 1B?

[Greenmonsters]

With the delayed call, it is almost certain that someone from the GA bench got in his ear quickly. Not having seen it himself (or else he would have promptly called dead ball and awarded the base), he didn't ask any of his partners for help as he attempted to cover up his "mistake". An excellent case study re how asking for help is better than guessing or inferring on a play that you may have missed (i.e., didn't see or hear)

Although giving Hugo 1B w/out advancing the runner on 2B isn't a horrible result, down 1-0 in the 5th, kudos to the MN coach for not losing their mind and getting tossed.

 

[MTR]

Yes, with no evidence of catcher's obstruction in the replay, this may have been the wrong call.

If the umpire judged contact was made on the initial attempt to strike the ball, that would be CO (not interference). However, I agree with a previous poster that if that were the case, it would have been called immediately. It looks like he went for help.......to the 3B coach!

If he didn't see it or hear it, he never should have moved off the original reaction without checking with both of his partners when the offense questioned the play.

 

[Greenmonsters]

IMO, catcher's obstruction (or catcher's interference in baseball) is most commonly heard, not actually seen, and effectively confirmed by the batter's immediate appeal to the plate umpire (plus or minus the catcher shaking their glove hand in pain). With only one of those 2 key indicators, help should be sought from the base umpire(s) before making a CO call.