<P> In baseball, blocking the plate is a technique performed by a catcher to prevent a runner from scoring . The act of blocking the plate accounted for most of the physical contact in Major League Baseball prior to the 2014 season, when it was outlawed except when the catcher already has possession of the ball . </P> <P> By the rules of baseball, a runner has the right to an unobstructed path to a base . However, this right is not granted if the fielder guarding the base possesses the ball or is in the process of catching the ball . The fielders guarding first base through third base are unlikely to risk physical harm and will generally place themselves out of the path of the runner . The catcher guarding home plate, however, wears padding and a face mask and often placed his body as an obstacle between the runner and home plate, even prior to receiving the ball . Since the runner did not have to worry about remaining on home plate, only tagging it, he typically ran at full speed in an effort to reach the plate . The speed of the runner combined with the fact that the catcher still had to tag him (unless the bases were loaded and a force play at home was still available) often resulted in collisions . </P>

Can the catcher block the plate in mlb