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TOPIC: Case Play (tag up on caught fly ball) |
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 26, 2009
9:01:59 AM
Entry #: 3199349
| Here's another case play on a topic that is often misunderstood.
Situation: With R1 at 3B, R2 at 2B, and 1 out, the batter hits a deep fly ball. R1 holds on base while R2 advances on contact and is almost at 3B when the fly ball is caught (now 2 outs). R1 runs for home once the ball is touched, and R2 retreats back to 2B. The fielder throws the ball to 2B to double up on R2, and the throw beats the runner for the third out. R1 crossed the scoring line before the third out. Does his run count?
I'll give one little hint if the third out is a force out, no runs can score. So the answer depends on whether or not the out on R2 was a force out.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 29, 2009
9:01:19 AM
Entry #: 3201167
| The key to the above case play is recognizing that an appeal for a runner leaving early on a caught fly ball is NOT a force play.
There is a common misconception that it is a force play because it normally plays out just like a force play where the runner tries to reach the base before a fielder gets the ball and touches the base. But it's important to realise that the fielder is making a live-ball appeal on a baserunning error, and if the appeal is properly made before the runner corrects the error (i.e. tags up), then we have an out.
Certain rules infractions do not automatically result in an out, and the defense must properly appeal to get the out. If the appeal is not made (or is not made properly), the infraction is ignored and the action is legal.
The appeal must be clear and unambiguous. For example, when a runner misses a base, if the ball is still live, the defense must throw to and touch the base AND state which runner they think missed the base. The umpire then rules on the appeal.
In the above case play, because appeals for runners leaving early on a caught fly ball are very common, and because everybody usually knows whats going on (i.e. that the runner left early and needs to tag up), it's not required that the fielder verbally announce the appeal. Simply throwing to and tagging the base is enough to constitute a proper live-ball appeal. But in my experience, most fielders have absolutely no idea that what they are actually doing is appealing a baserunning error.
Such an appeal is NOT a force out by definition, a force is the result of a batter becoming a batter-runner. Once the fly ball is caught, there can be NO force outs because other runners are not forced to any base. This means that any further plays are 'timing' plays, which means that runs do count if the runners reach the safe line before the third out is made.
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