Obstruction

Situation

A fielder without the ball, and not fielding a batted ball, impedes a runner. The umpire calls obstruction. The ball may stay live until the play ends, which is a delayed dead ball, and then bases are awarded.

What happens on the field

• Finish the play the umpire let finish. Then place each runner where the umpire awarded.
• Obstruction is not automatically an error, and it is not a hit.
• If the umpire also calls an out or an error on a separate act, record that separately.

How the book should look

• The runner ends on the awarded base. Do not add a hit or a stolen base for the award itself.

A common miss is advancing everyone an extra base, or charging an error, because the signal looked like one.

In DugoutDesk

1. Tap the runner, then Obstruction. The play dialog advances every runner one base, and scores a runner from third, by default.
2. Change a base if the umpire awarded something other than that default.

There is no separate delayed-dead-ball button. Obstruction is the record of the award. Pitch-by-pitch scoring is free. Hit spray is not part of this award.

Ruleset notes

Baseball and fastpitch books split immediate dead-ball obstruction from delayed dead-ball obstruction. The award is not identical in USA Softball, USSSA, NFHS, Little League, PONY, and Babe Ruth.

Record the bases the umpire gave you. The app does not choose the award and does not certify the rule.