DENVER, CO - AUGUST 28: Fernando Tatis Jr. #42 of the San Diego Padres reacts after being hit by the ball on the pickoff attempt after sliding safely into third base with a sixth inning steal against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 28, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MLB officials reportedly told umpires Wednesday to crack down on obstruction calls in the 2024 season. The controversial rule has been a matter of debate for several seasons but was tabled while the league pursued more ambitious changes in 2023.
Obstruction refers to an infielder blocking a base runner’s path to a base, either by stepping in their path, interfering with their attempt to advance or blocking the base on a slide. In cases where umpires make an obstruction call, the runner is called safe.
According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the league is likely requesting more scrutiny on these calls to ensure player safety and clarify gray areas in the current rule. Though some obstruction plays are blatant and called accordingly, it is common practice for infielders to block a runner’s slide by dropping their knee into the base path and disguising it as an attempt to field a throw. This can cause injury to both the fielder and runner, particularly on feet-first slides in metal cleats.
This is not the first time obstruction has been a matter of debate, as plays at home plate came under scrutiny several seasons ago. MLB changed the rule to force catchers to wait until they had the ball before entering the runner’s path to home plate. This rule was changed to prevent head-on collisions, once an accepted part of the game.
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Further attention to obstruction plays has been in the works for some time, but the league reportedly felt the need to focus on a litany of different rule changes last season. In addition to the pitch clock and larger bases, MLB also requested that umpires inspect pitchers in order to limit the use of banned throwing substances, or “sticky stuff.”
After a full season of radical rule changes, the league seems to feel that umpires can return to fine-tuning regulations to ensure that current rules are being enforced as intended. It will likely be unclear how impactful this obstruction initiative will be on game outcomes until the regular season begins in late March.
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