LAKELAND, Fla. — Umpire Sean Barber waved his hands in the air after Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez threw a laser to shortstop Francisco Lindor who placed the tag on Tigers catcher Carson Kelly. It should have been Alvarez’s ninth runner caught stealing, but instead, Barber ruled obstruction on Lindor.
A closer look at the play would have you questioning what the letter of the rule says. Lindor receives the ball ahead of the runner and lays his glove down to place the tag. Kelly runs through it, feet first before stepping on second base, a clear view of the base ahead of him [WATCH].
This offseason, umpires and teams were informed that the rule, which already existed before this season, would be enforced more diligently. So, what exactly is the rule?
Rule 6.01 (h) 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.”
One big example MLB used to encourage umpires to make the call more occurred in 2022, when then-Tigers second baseman Jonathan Schoop blocked White Sox slugger Luis Robert from stealing second by dropping his knee in front of the base. Robert, going full speed, slid headfirst, spraining his wrist.
In Lindor’s case, the runner, Kelly, was able to safely reach the bag after the tag was placed. Nevertheless, Kelly is credited with a stolen base, and Alvarez robbed of his ninth caught stealing in spring training — he had 15 all last season.
In between innings, Lindor can be seen talking with umpires, seeking clarity on the call. But the damage had already been done.
A learning lesson for the veteran shortstop that his role helping to catch runners stealing just got harder.
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