What is the role of the base umpire?

• A. To call balls and strikes.
• B. To call plays at bases, including tag plays and potential obstruction or interference.
• C. To manage substitutions.
• D. To determine fair vs foul balls at home plate.

Answer: (B)

The base umpire’s role is to call plays at the bases, including tag plays and any obstruction or interference. This means the base umpire watches rundowns, determines safe or out when a runner reaches a base, and rules on situations where a fielder might obstruct a runner or a runner might interfere with a fielder. These calls focus on what’s happening at the bags (first, second, and third) and on plays around the bases, rather than on the pitch or the home-plate area.

In contrast, balls and strikes are handled by the plate umpire, and calls on whether a ball is fair or foul near home plate are primarily the plate umpire’s responsibility. Substitutions are a game-management task typically coordinated by the umpires in charge, not the base umpire’s main duty. So the base umpire’s job centers on the action at the bases, including tag plays and obstruction/interference decisions.