Umpire judged that in your example, “2” the fielder was still in the act of fielding a batted ball. “Act of fielding” is not strictly defined and therein lies all the variability of umpire judgement. Also worth noting the responsible umpire does not have this view, he is at the second base cut out with a more lateral/perpendicular view of the fielder/runner/play. Not saying I agree or disagree with the call, but as an umpire, and arbiter, I enjoy the discussions when they lead to shared understanding—not necessarily agreements on the application.
@DesertCatfish7@shipwreckedcrew College and NFHS have provided key casebook supplemental information to help clarify the rule application. Many example videos online that can be used for training purposes. 🤓
The second part to consider is the exception to the rule: The baserunner does not have that base path restriction when attempting to avoid interfering with a fielder fielding a batted ball. So, in this scenario, we have established what the base path is, and I will agree with you that the fielder moved toward the runner and was attempting a tag. However, since it was judged that the runner was attempting to avoid the fielder fielding a batted ball, the runner is permitted the exception to the 3-feet of lateral deviation.
@shipwreckedcrew Current OBR rules. Base path is established when the tag is attempted.
“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.”
@shipwreckedcrew Baseline = direct line between bases. It was removed from use other than describing the field layout. Base path is the most direct path between the runner and the base he/she is attempting to reach safely when the play (tag is attempted) is made on the runner.
@PeterWrangel@CynicalPublius It’s being done as we speak, and for at least two years. NGC2 is driving battlefield and broader army strategic capabilities to overcome DDIL and Contested Logistics/Sustainment Challenges. Great successes with MG Ellis and 4ID along with similar exercises with other units.
Army solution leverages Hypori and the army Mobile connect app which is used for one-time passwords to login to Hypori app. No army data is installed/saved/stored on your phone. Hypori allows you to connect to a virtual mobile device running an android operating system. The Hypori app simply provides access to that virtual device using pixel streaming, not a full integrated virtual interface