Expert: Andrew Senger - 11/17/2009

Question
In the Little league world series there were several games that the catcher was in front of the plate, on the thyroid base line waiting for a throw from the field. The runner came in past the catcher who did not have the ball.  I can not tell you the specific games but it did happen during the televised games.  How can the catcher be in front of the plate, blocking access without having the ball and to avoid a collision?  My understanding is that that the defensive player can not block access to a bag/plate and the runner must slide or avoid the tag, but only if the defensive player is in control of the ball. This is always a confusing issue so what is the final rule?  Can a catcher block the plate without possession of the ball?  

My interpretation is that the catcher or defensive player can not block the bag or plate in any way without possession of the ball, otherwise obstruction will be called.

Brian McCarthy


Answer
Brian,

You are correct. A fielder without possession of the ball cannot stop a fielder from having access to a base. In these situations, the umpire would signal an obstruction call. The rules differ by league, but generally an obstruction call will award the runner the base they were attempting to reach.

In your examples, the players seemed to be safe at the plate without any play. Because of this, there is essentially no call to be made -- the runner made it to the base safely, even though they were blocked from the base.