Sliding at home

Without the ball?...then the rules concerning obstruction....

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Fegley:
A runner is required to avoid contact with catcher at home plate.

Not exactly.

quote:

What prevents the catcher from positioning himself up the line where the runner has no chance of making the plate on a slide and forcing the runner out of the baseline to avoid the contact?

1. If the catcher does not have the ball, the obstruction rule would come into play. Additionally, without the ball, a play could not be made and the runner is free to run more than three feet out of the baseline.

2. If the catcher has the ball, nothing prevents this.

First, welcome to the site.
Runners are required to slide legally or attempt to avoid contact. If a catcher sets up in front of the plate without the ball the possibility for obstruction is possible. The runner can then do what he needs to do to get around him. What he can not do is maliciously contact the catcher or dive over him. If the action of going aroound the catcher causes him to be out then the catcher has committed obstruction and award the runner home. Being in a position to obstruct does not automaticly translate to obstruction, he must actually obstruct him.

was going to ask a similar question. Seems black and white. If C has ball, R must slide or avoid. If C does not have ball, then obstruction. What about if C is receiving the ball, but has not hit glove yet? does it matter that the ball is on its way in? What if the natural path of C to get ball takes him into the baseline, then contact prior to ball?

quote:

Originally posted by NJGuy:
was going to ask a similar question. Seems black and white. If C has ball, R must slide or avoid. If C does not have ball, then obstruction. What about if C is receiving the ball, but has not hit glove yet? does it matter that the ball is on its way in? What if the natural path of C to get ball takes him into the baseline, then contact prior to ball?

Under FED he must possess the ball to legally deny access. Under OBR, if the ball arrival is imminent you can block the plate. To answer your last question, natural path of C to get ball takes him into the baseline (you should say path of the runner if the fielder doesn't possess the ball), then contact prior to ball?" If the catcher doesn't have the ball it is likely obstruction under FED, but it could turn into Malicious Contact which would supersede the Obstruction. That's when you have to umpire.

As noted, Fed requires them to have the ball. In OBR he can go there to receive the ball, however he can't go to a blocking position to make the throw come to him.