Hell of a throw by the center fielder but...
- Thread starter sipDawg98
- Start date
Maybe could have slid a few feet behind the catcher and slapped the plate with his hand. That's about all I can see that he could have done differently.
I believe the rule states you can't collide with the catch above the waist.
You can slide through the catcher just as long as it's below the waist.
You can slide through the catcher just as long as it's below the waist.
it was a really bad slide by armstrong. he basically slid right into the catcher. the catcher did a nice job blocking the plate, but you gotta avoid contact. probably a product of us being used to sliding on our ****** astroturf where you scoot for an extra 3 or 4 feet. you dont get the extra umph on a real baseball field and for good reason. man's game
Yeah, that's ridiculous. I can get behind not allowing players to blow up the catcher, but you shouldn't let a defensive player impede the pathway without the ball. Just an idiotic rule. I'd rather be a catcher in pads blocking the plate ready to get blown up than a baserunner forced to risk a broken finger or wrist trying to slide full speed and dodge the catcher's leg to tab home plate.
You can block the base path with the ball. The catcher, more or less had the ball with his leg in the base path and Armstrong slid on too of it as opposed to around it or through it. Even if there was a split second where the catcher didn't have the ball, he gets the full benefit of the doubt in that instance.
Armstrong should have slid behind him head first, plain and simple... He had room to do it.
Armstrong should have slid behind him head first, plain and simple... He had room to do it.
According to the rulebook, contact can be made below the knee:
"Contact with a fielder is legal and interference shall not be called if the runner makes a legal slide directly to the base and in the baseline extended (see diagram)."
As a catcher, I was always taught to put my foot six inches above the plate on the foul line. That guarantees the runner can't get to half the plate at all without blocking the plate without the ball.
Then once I had the ball, by dropping my knee, I would cover the whole plate.
"Contact with a fielder is legal and interference shall not be called if the runner makes a legal slide directly to the base and in the baseline extended (see diagram)."
As a catcher, I was always taught to put my foot six inches above the plate on the foul line. That guarantees the runner can't get to half the plate at all without blocking the plate without the ball.
Then once I had the ball, by dropping my knee, I would cover the whole plate.
i believe that if you are "sliding" you're ok. what isn't allowed anymore is the lowering of the shoulder and just driving thru him. you can still collide with the catcher.
As someone who got a concussion from being run over when I was a catcher, no you should not be able to truck the catcher.
Also, the catcher cannot block the plate without the ball. The runner must be able to touch the plate with a legal slide if the catcher does not have the ball.
The catcher last night didn't block the plate without the ball. Armstrong still had easy access to over half of the plate. A few different legal slides would have resulted in him being safe. He chose poorly.
That is a really bad rule unless its accompanied by a rule that the catcher can't impede the runner's path to home plate. You really can't have it both ways, if the catcher is going to block off the plate even with his leg like last night he should be fair game to get run over.