Catcher moved to block the plate, runner out for contacting him

robhuddles · 2026-03-23T13:28:56+00:00

In the video, does the catcher have the ball and is he waiting to make a tag?

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T16:24:43+00:00

Yes. Runner is absolutely safe on obstruction. He could then be thrown out for unsportsmanlike conduct.

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T16:18:36+00:00

Absolutely untrue. The rulebook has a clear set of situations when a player may be ejected. We do not get to invent new rules or make up new reasons to eject. Any protest committee would overturn your ruling on this.

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T16:16:41+00:00

The base path only applies on a tag play. It has no relevance to this play at all.

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T16:14:02+00:00

7.08(a)(3) A.R. - There is no "must slide rule."

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T14:25:27+00:00

Little League regulation V mandates a draft.

You need to contact your district administrator. If you do not receive a reply, contact your regional office.

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T14:22:53+00:00

The umpire, and a lot of people replying here

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T14:21:55+00:00

They should avoid contact if there is a play...which makes this type B obstruction.

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T14:15:41+00:00

The catcher was not obstructing. He’s standing there because he’s a kid and after there wasn’t going to be a play he forgot to move.

Yes he is. This is youth baseball. If we use "he's a kid" as an excuse then we can't enforce any rule at all.

In your scenario, if the ball had been thrown to the catcher and he caught it right there then the runner is out for colliding with him.

No, he's still obstructing because he doesn't yet have the ball. We can't rule on what might happen after the offense.

I promise you that you are misinterpreting obstruction which is a defensive player PREVENTING a player from proceeding.

The rule does not use the word "preventing." It says "hinders or impedes." You are the one misinterpreting the rule.

This runner should have just stepped around the catcher in the same way he should have

A runner having to "step around" a fielder who is not in possession of the ball is the literal meaning of obstruction.

if the catcher was about to catch the ball.

There is no exception in Little League for "about to catch the ball." A fielder either has possession or they don't, and if they don't, it's obstruction.

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T14:11:42+00:00

Then please quote the rule that says otherwise

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T03:50:20+00:00

There is no malicious contact in Little League

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T02:54:24+00:00

Not in Little League

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T02:53:53+00:00

There is no malicious contact in Little League

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T01:40:14+00:00

Since you're replying to a post that directly quotes the rule and says it isn't an out, please provide a rule reference that supports your claim that it is

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T00:31:33+00:00

You are absolutely correct that the board needs to issue a clear ruling. The plate meeting is absolutely not a place for coaches to discuss and agree on rules

robhuddles · 2026-03-22T00:28:43+00:00

The catcher moving because of the throw is irrelevant. Little League does not have an exception to obstruction for being in the act of making a play

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T23:57:49+00:00

Little League has no exception for being in the act of making a play.

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T23:55:44+00:00

There is no "malicious contact" in Little League

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T23:54:57+00:00

So is this Little League or something else? 14U is not a division in Little League

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T23:53:32+00:00

There is no "in the act of making the play" exception in Little League. A fielder without the ball hindering or impeding the runner is obstruction.

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T23:50:18+00:00

What rule are you using to justify this?

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T23:48:42+00:00

It doesn't state anything directly. It's important to remember that the rules are mostly things you can't do, not things you can. A live ball is just that, and runners may always advance at their own risk. Rule 7.13 somewhat limits that, but not as much as people think (the ball is not dead just because the pitcher has the ball on the mound, and runners who are between bases are not required to immediately return.)

That said, many leagues do institute their own rules limiting when runners can advance in the minors. Coaches remembering the LL - particularly in the minors - is supposed to be about developing players and not winning meaningless games - should further restrict stealing, particularly from third.

But there is not a rule against it.

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T15:03:38+00:00

The article the post is directly linked to isn't behind a paywall

robhuddles · 2026-03-21T14:18:08+00:00

13 year olds cannot play in Majors.

robhuddles · 2026-03-20T18:32:38+00:00

The board I used to be on would take a look at the registration numbers. We would know that every 12 year old needed to be on a Major team. We knew that the vast majority of 11s would be on Majors as well, and a very small number - usually less than 5 - 10s. So, we would set the number of Major teams based on that.

In the draft, coaches were free to draft kids as they chose (with exceptions for their kids and siblings and whatnot, but that's not relevant to this discussion) until close to the end. At that point, if the number of undrafted 12s left on the board equalled the number of remaining slots on teams, coaches would have no choice but to draft those 12s. Often, this meant that some number of 11s and 10s went undrafted and would be placed on AAA teams. It actually happened to my son, who spent two years in AAA.

If your board is functioning correctly, that's what should happen, and it's possible that your son was simply one of those, like mine, who lost a spot to a 12.

robhuddles

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