The Obstruction in Game 3 of the 2013 World Series

Since everybody and their dog is doing a post or article on this, I'll toss my hat in the ring for reasons passing understanding.  You can watch the play here, but here's a brief description if you don't feel like watching it.  The play in question, as if you didn't know by now, occurred in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied 4 all.  With runners on second and third with one down, Jon Jay hit a ground ball in the vicinity of Dustin Pedroia, who dove to his right, stopped the ball, got up and gunned down Yadier Molina at home.  Behind Molina, Allen Craig broke for third and Jarrod Saltalamacchia attempted to throw him out.  Will Middlebrooks attempted to stop the ball while staying on the bag and missed, falling to his left in the process while Craig slid in to third.  Middlebrooks stayed down while Craig attempted to score from third.  He tripped over Middlebrooks' legs, at which point Jim Joyce called obstruction.  The play continued and Craig was thrown out at home, but because of how close the play was, Craig was given home, scoring the winning run and giving the Cardinals the win over the Red Sox.  Several hours later, people were still arguing that the obstruction call was wrong.  Here's why I believe those people are wrong.

Rule 2.00 (Obstruction): "For example: an infielder dives at a ground ball and the ball passes him and he continues to lie on the ground and delays the progress of the runner, he very likely has obstructed the runner."  The play in question was that exact example.  Middlebrooks dove for a ball, it passed him and he continued to lay on the ground, obstructing Craig.  The rule itself states that "Obstruction is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner." Nowhere in the rule itself or in the example given does the word "intent" appear.  Middlebrooks dove, the ball passed him, stayed on the ground and delayed the progress of the runner.  End of story.


Some people said Craig was out of the base path because of where he started running, citing the chalk line as the reference for the base path.  That's just plain wrong.  The chalk line doesn't indicate the base path, it indicates the border between a fair ball and a foul ball.  The base path isn't defined.  If the base path is the chalk line, every single runner who rounds third to score from second would be out.  Same for pretty much every base when the runner rounds the bases.  Hitting third and turning 90 degrees to stay in the base path is probably possible, but the injuries would pile up quickly.  Craig was not out of the base path because the chalk line IS NOT the base path.  The base path is between home and first.  Otherwise, "A runner's base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely; or after touching first base, he leaves the base path, obviously abandoning his effort to touch the next base." Rule 7.08 (a)(1) and (2).  Craig was trying to advance to the next base, where the base path was then established.

And to put this one out there, Rule 7.06(b) states: "If no play is being made on the obstructed runner, the play shall proceed until no further action is possible.  The umpire shall then call 'Time' and impose such penalties, if any, as in his judgement will nullify the act of obstruction."  Put into layman's terms, since the ball went by and there was no play being made on Craig when the obstruction occurred, the play continued until no further action could be taken.  Since Craig was tagged out on a close play at the plate and, in home plate umpire Dana DeMuth's judgement would have scored if no obstruction occurred, awarded Craig home plate.  Given how close the play at the plate was, I find no fault in the call.

Basically, people are up in arms because of the way the game ended and every argument, simply, is wrong.  The rules spell out the exact play at the end of the game and, looked out in whatever angle you choose, the play called is the correct one.  Granted, DeMuth used his judgement to award Craig home to score the winning run.  With the exception of every Red Sox fan on the planet, most people would agree that DeMuth made the right call.  In the bottom of the 9th of a tied World Series game, Jim Joyce and Dana DeMuth did an excellent job getting the call right under immense pressure.  Baseball fans always jump on the umpires when they get a call wrong.  This time, baseball fans are the ones that got it wrong.