This isn’t a rule change for 2024. But it’s going to be a more enforced rule that will no doubt lead to some players, managers and fans losing it when it’s called.
Major League Baseball umpires will be enforcing obstruction rules more this year — they will have to determine if a fielder is getting in the way of a runner’s path to the base.
“Existing Rule 6.00(h) awards the base to the runner when the fielder is ruled to have impeded the runner’s progress while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball,” says MLB.com. “The rule leaves it up to the judgment of the umpire as to whether a fielder is in the act of fielding the ball.”
Check out what happened in Spring training and you’ll see how this will be enforced more:
Francisco Lindor was called for obstruction on this stolen base attempt today
The new rules in 2024 say you can’t block any part of the base pic.twitter.com/k86llbnldw
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 22, 2024
The new “blocking the bag” obstruction rule is going to give us plenty of ump shows this yearpic.twitter.com/tmydE2ZAgF
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) March 21, 2024
Good luck, baseball players!
