Coaching Youth Baseball-Free Drills and Youth baseball Tips for Parents and Coaches - Interference and Obstruction | Little League Interference and or Obstruction

One of the most confusing and controversial aspects of baseball is a situation where a defensive and offensive player either collide or interfere with each other. We have seen many angry coaches and parents over not understanding the rules of interference and obstruction in youth baseball. Also, Many youth baseball umpires do not have full understanding of all the rules. I'm not sure anyone does. But I would consider youth baseball interference and obstruction a common play occurrence that coaches and umpires should know and be able to explain.

Obstruction
Section 2.00 of the Little League Rule Book(which in be very extraordinary if some youth leagues varied from these rules for youth baseball interference and obstruction) defines Obstruction as: “the act of a fielder who, while not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.” Note that there does not need to be contact between the players for there to be obstruction. A fake tag which convinces a runner to slide into a base when he could have reasonably been expected to advance is explicitly defined as obstruction by the rule book. There is no requirement of intent, either. A player who dives unsuccessfully for a ground ball and remains on the ground, delaying the progress of a runner, could be guilty of obstruction, as could a first baseman who stands at the inside corner of first base despite it being clear that no play will be made at first, causing the batter to adjust his/her path to second base. This would also include a cut off or relay fielder who impedes the runner in the eyes of the umpire.
Rule 7.06 addresses the consequences of obstruction. If a play is made at the point of obstruction, the ball is immediately dead and all runners are permitted to advance to where the umpire judges they would’ve reached if obstruction did not occur. If no play is made at the point of baseball obstruction, play is allowed to continue until the play otherwise ends, and then the umpire calls time and adjusts the positions of any runners to where the umpires believe they would’ve reached if obstruction did not occur.

Interference
There are many forms of interference – we are focusing on the runner and the defensive player on offensive interference.. where a runner interferes with a fielder making a play. Rule 7.09(l) says it is interference when “the runner fails to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball …”
Note that unintentionally interfering with fielding a thrown ball is not interference. The penalty for interference is generally that the ball is immediately dead and the runner is out, although there are several special cases.

Summary
First, a fielder always has the right to any place on the field to try and field or make a play on a batted ball – no exceptions. However, once he drops it, or misses the ball, it is no longer a batted ball.)
Second, the runner always has the right to the base path, except when required to avoid a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball, or if a fielder is in possession of the ball and is waiting to make a tag,. The only time a runner has to alter his running path is to avoid a fielder making a play on a batted ball. (The base path is not restricted to a straight line between the bases, either, but shall be interpreted by the umpire as a path reasonably taken by a runner in advancing in such a situation, such as “rounding” a base when advancing to the next, or trying to advance to second after running through first when an overthrow occurs.)