Obstruction call

[CoogansBluff]

Batter hits single to RF, knocks down first baseman, proceeds to second baseman. Umpire has ruled obstruction. Ball gets away (can't remember how), and batter/runner proceeds to third, is thrown out easily. She went to third b/c of the obstruction call. Umpire calls runner out at third, says she had the right to proceed to 2B, not 3B.

Is this correct?

Also, does it matter if the batter/runner runs to third without pause or stop?

 

[Comp]

An obstructed runner may not be put out between the 2 bases where the obstruction occured. In this case, the runner was obstructed between 1st and 2nd, so unless the runner commits an act of interference, they cannot be put out between 1st and 2nd. The one caveat to the rule is the umpire can protect the runner to the base they would have reached if not for the obstruction. Based on your description of the runner hit a single ro rf, at the time of the obstruction the runner had no possibility of reaching 3rd, and would have only been protected between 1st and 2nd. If she had been put out at 2nd, the umpire could have determined to either put the runner at 2nd, or return them to 1st. The ball getting away was a completely separate act after the obstruction and the runner chose to attempt to advance to 3rd after the protection ended at 2nd. It appears to be a good call by the umpire.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Thanks, Comp. ... Sounds like the key was where obstruction occurred. Thanks!

 

[Umpireernie]

Batter hits single to RF, knocks down first baseman, proceeds to second baseman. Umpire has ruled obstruction. Ball gets away...

...Also, does it matter if the batter/runner runs to third without pause or stop?

When a runner is obstructed the umpire must make a decision about where the obstructed runner would have gotten without the obstruction based on the play going on at the time of the obstruction. In this case the batter/runner was running on a batted ball. The umpire must judge if this batted ball is a single, double, etc.

The obstructed runner cannot be put out (with some limited exceptions) between the two bases where she was obstructed. She also cannot be put out before she reaches the furthest base that the umpire believes she would have reached without the obstruction.
However plays by the defense after the obstruction and/or running decisions made by the offense after the obstruction don't figure in.

So the batter/runner hits a single, rounds 1B to "take a look" and run into F3. It was a single so without the obstruction the batter/runner would have rounded 1B and returned. But the ball "got away" and now the runner takes off. That's her choice. By rule since the obstruction happened between 1B and 2B she can't be put out there if she is she is returned to 1B. But once she passes 2B all bets are off.

For the batter/runner in the OP to be awarded 3B the umpire would have had to believe that had the batter/runner not run into F3 during the batted ball she would have ended up on 3B unaided by the ball getting away, bad throws, etc. which may have happened after the obstruction.