The pastime we love is riddled with nuance. Often, it is said that the ‘little things’ are what win baseball games. Our game was not designed for individual glory. Rather, doing everything possible within the rules to win for your team is baseball’s highest good. A successful sacrifice bunt always earns high-fives. The runner who slides hard into second intending to break up a double play is praised. Making an effort to hit the ball to the right side with runners on may damage a batting average, but the effort made is a fundamental strategy in baseball. The game of baseball is all about team.

The good baseball player inherently knows this. He takes great satisfaction in being acutely aware and will implement every known subtlety of the game at the appropriate time. He will never simply concede an out. He has been taught since youth to place a higher value on team than himself. When the penultimate time arrives and our hero rounds third (well aware of the import and impact crossing the plate safely means to his team, his opponents, and all of the efforts it took to arrive at this moment) there will be but one thing on his mind. The good baseball player will try to score by any means necessary.

There is another good baseball player on defense. This man abides by the same code. His sense of duty to the team is equally as fervent. Adrenaline will permeate his bloodstream as he stoutly awaits the incoming throw. He is not considering the physical consequences of the impending impact. Our hero is entirely focused on prevention. His allegiance to his ballclub and their victory inspire him to stand his ground. The good baseball player secures the ball and braces for contact. No rule is going to stop a collision from happening.

I refer you to the 2013 Major League Baseball Rulebook (Interference and Obstruction pages 16-19) to view the rules currently in place:

Rule 2.00: 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.

Rule 2.00 (A): Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play.

Rule 7.06 (B) NOTE: The catcher, without the ball in possession, has no right to block the pathway of the runner attempting to score. The base belongs to the runner and the catcher should only be there when he already has the ball in his hand.

The current rules state clearly that a catcher (or any fielder) has a right to “block” the plate (or second or third base) as long as they are in possession of the ball or making an attempt to field a batted ball or throw. The new rule banning collisions will fundamentally alter the game of baseball in favor of the defense. The right of a runner to attempt to claim a bag by force has been removed. The moments of baseball’s highest drama which pit man vs. man and allow the game to be decided by heart and desire will occur no more. Our game has been downgraded.

Pete Rose said in November when asked about the potential new rule, “You can’t eliminate that. If the catcher blocks the plate, that’s what is going to happen. In the case with myself and Ray Fosse, he had the plate blocked. I started to slide head-first. And if I slide, I’m going to break both collar bones. And to be honest with you, he was breaking the rules because I think the rule book says you can’t block the plate if you don’t have the ball.” Rose is absolutely correct. Baseball is a contact sport. Ray Fosse was blocking the plate without the ball. Fosse made a hero’s choice. However, he was not adhering to the rules.

The new rule defies the very nature of baseball. In baseball, most everything is earned. Removing the right to contest passage to the safety of a bag (or the plate) marks a sad turning point for the game. One of the reasons fans are enthralled by our sport is to witness ‘who wants it more’ moments. Sadly, those involving contact appear to be history.

No legislation will eliminate the home plate collision.