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Yesterday's situation interpretations from John P.

04/21/2017, 9:45am CDT
By Bob Tomlinson

my responses:

 

  • Head Coach verbally calls for a courtesy runner for his “catcher,’’ who has reached 1B on a walk.  Afters her announcement to the umpire, and umpire’s confirmation to the home scorebook, Head Coach discovers that his “catcher’’ is actually playing 1B in this game. Before any pitch is thrown, he verbally “rescinds’’ his substitution.   The home plate umpire says “OK’’ … the home-team coach says nothing … and the announced pinch-runner returns to the bench without penalty.
  • My question:  What is the correct impact?  I believe the substitution, once confirmed/announced by the umpire, is official.   She is a pinch-runner, and the 1B has one chance to re-enter.  I was stunned that the umpire and the home-team coach allowed this non-substitution without penalty

Courtesy Runner Rule 8-9.  Courtesy runner violations are treated as illegal substitutes (Rule 3-4).  They are restricted to bench and if in game offensively, called out.  In this play situation i agree with umpire’s ruling because:

The courtesy runner may not run for the 1B.  The coach is notified and removes courtesy runner before the ball becomes live.  There is no mention of when courtesy runner is officially in the game  under 8-9, so it is reasonable to apply standard found under Substitution Rule 3-3-4e, “when the ball is declared live.”  That is despite the fact that a courtesy runner is not a substitution and falls under Rule 8-9 rather than Substitution Rule 3-4.

 

So, had the error not been discovered until ball was declared live, then penalty would be applied, namely, courtesy runner restricted to bench and called out.

 

 

  • Runners on 1st and 2nd, zero out.  Batter hits a legitimate “foul tip’’ that the C catches cleanly.    Runners were stealing on the play.  R2B reaches third safely.   R1B panics and attempts to return to first.   C throws to 1B, who steps on the bag but does not tag the runner.    Home plate umpire calls the runner at first out, but does not require the runner at 3B to “tag up’’ and/or return to 2B.
  • My take:   Runner at 1B was safe, given that she returned to the base without being tagged out.   Runner at 3B is legit, given that she stole the base without question.
  • My real question is how the home-plate umpire could call the runner at 1B out for not “tagging up’’ on a foul tip – he didn’t call the batter out for a foul fly ball – but yet allow the runner at second to advance to third.   Should have either been a weird triple play … or no outs at all, right?

 

Rule 2-25-2, "Foul tip is a batted ball that goes sharply and directly from the bat to the catcher’s mitt or hand and is legally caught by the catcher.”  First judgement by umpire is foul tip or not.  As you point out, foul tip is live ball and steal is legal.  R2 returning to 1st base must be tagged to be out.  R1 at third legally.

 

If caught foul ball is ruled then batter is out on catch, R2 is out and R1 is at third because ball is live but she may be called out if proper appeal is made to umpire.  So, yes it could be weird triple play.

 

 

Situation #3:  Top of first inning with one out. Batter gets hit in the head with a 62 mph pitch. Umpire sends batter to first but does not check out the player for possible concussed situation.  Now with that hit batter at first the #3 batter strikes out on a pitch in the dirt and takes off running to first. the ball had hit the dirt and had been cleanly blocked by the catcher who rose, stepped forward, picked up the ball and attempted to get the runner at first out stealing that brick. Batter runs into catcher in act of throwing and ball sails into outfield with the baserunner being safe at second and not advancing to third.

 

In my opinion, since Batter is out and was not entitled to advance to first, she cannot interfere and if she does the call is “dead ball” runner closest to home is declared out, in this case R1 who is at second.  It is a judgement call so if umpire doesn’t see it as interference then play stands.

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