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TOPIC: Force Plays -- test your knowledge |
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 11, 2010
12:33:21 PM
Entry #: 3501203
| This forum is way too quiet! So I’ll try to shake things up a bit.
Test your rules knowledge regarding force plays. Below are a number of situations read them carefully and ask whether these are force plays. Hint: some are, and some are not. If you have a rule book, pay particular attention to the definition of a force play.
1. No runners on. Batter hits a grounder to F6 who fields it and throws to F3, who catches the ball and touches the base before the batter-runner. Is this a force play?
2. Same as #1 but the throw draws F3 off the base towards home. F3 catches the ball and tags the batter-runner before BR reaches 1B. Is this a force play?
3. Runners on first (R1) and second (R2). Batter hits a ground ball to F5 who fields it and steps on 3B before R2. Is this a force play?
4. Same as #3 but F5 tags R2 instead of the base. Is this a force play?
5. With fast R1 and slow R2, batter hits a fly ball to the outfield. Runners hold their bases as the fly ball is caught. R2 begins to advance and then retreats back to 2B as the throw goes to 3B. Meanwhile, R1 advanced to 2B, so both runners are standing on the same base. F5 then goes over and tags both runners. Is there a force play here? (Bonus question: which runner is out?)
6. With R2, batter hits a fly ball to the outfield. Thinking it won’t be caught, R2 begins to advance. When the fly ball is caught by F8, R2 tries to return to 2B to tag up, but F8 throws to F4 who catches the ball and tags 2B before R2 returns. Is the out on R2 a force play?
7. Similar to #6 but R2 rounds 3B before the ball is caught. R2 then retreats by going directly to 2B (i.e. not retouching 3B on the way) and beats the throw. F4 then throws to F5 who tags 3B and appeals the missed base the umpire upholds the appeal and rules the runner out. Is this a force play?
8. With runner on third (R3), batter hits a bouncing ball to F5. The runner is off on contact, and F5 throws to home. F2 receives the ball and touches the plate before R3 touches or crosses the scoring line. Is this a force play?
9. With R1, batter hits a dribbler in front of home plate. F1 charges in to field the ball as R1 advances to and rounds 2B but misses the base. F1 picks up the ball and throws to 1B to retire the BR. R1, seeing the throw go to 1B, advances to 3B. After the play is over, the defense makes a dead-ball appeal that R1 missed 2B the umpire upholds the appeal and rules R1 out. Is this a force play?
Some of these are easy, but some are tricky. Some are posted specifically to capitalize on picking nits, and some are intended to clarify common misunderstandings.
I'll post answers some time. . .
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 15, 2010
5:56:44 PM
Entry #: 3504570
| I'll post the answers, and some later day, I'll post the explanations. . .
#1) No, this is NOT a force play.
#2) No, this is NOT a force play.
#3) Yes, this is a force play.
#4) Yes, this is a force play.
#5) No, there is no force play (and runner from 1B is out).
#6) No, this out is NOT a force play.
#7) No, this is NOT a force play.
#8) No, this is NOT a force play.
#9) Yes. The play on the batter-runner at 1B is NOT a force play. The appeal for the missed base at 2B is a force play.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 18, 2010
2:26:45 PM
Entry #: 3507547
| Explanation: #1 & #2 (not force plays)
The first two situations are nitpicks! They are not technically force plays because, by rule, force plays can only happen when runners lose their right to a base because the batter became a batter-runner. Ergo, this does not apply to the batter-runner.
Officially, these are considered outs on the batter-runner before reaching first base. The rules consistently differentiate between these kinds of outs and force outs, but knowing or not knowing this difference will make no difference on the field and is really only useful for rules trivia.
Below are the relevant rules citations, which will come in handy for some of the later explanations.
Rule 1-31: FORCE OUT
Is an out which can be made only when a runner loses the right to the base which he is occupying because the batter becomes a batter-runner, and before the batter-runner or a succeeding runner has been put out.
Rule 1-9: BATTER-RUNNER
Is a player who:
a. Is no longer a batter and
b. Has not yet been put out or touched first base.
Rule 1-79: RUNNER
Is a player of the team at bat who has finished a turn at bat, reached first base, and has not yet been put out.
Rule 8-2: BATTER-RUNNER IS OUT
b. When, after hitting a fair ball, he is tagged while off base or thrown out prior to reaching first base.
Rule 8-9: THE RUNNER IS OUT
c. When, on a force play, a fielder:
1) While holding the ball, contacts the base to which the runner is forced to advance.
2) Touches the ball to the base before the runner reaches the base.
3) Tags the runner before he reaches the base.
Rule 5-8: SCORING OF RUNS
b. A run shall not be scored if the last out of the inning is a result of:
1) The batter-runner being put out before legally touching first base.
2) A runner is forced out (including on an appeal play) due to the batter becoming a batter-runner.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 18, 2010
2:33:04 PM
Entry #: 3507556
| Explanation: #3 & #4 (both force outs)
These two are both classic force outs, and no explanation is really required except that some people may be confused by #4 where the forced runner was tagged rather than thrown out. In a force situation, so long as the runner is put out before safely reaching the forced base, it is a force out regardless of how the out was made.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 28, 2010
4:11:46 PM
Entry #: 3514749
| Explanation: #5 (not a force play runner from 1B is out)
I’ll deal with this one individually. Because the BR is out on the caught fly ball, it should be clear by now that there cannot be a force play as defined by the rule book. The question then becomes, which runner has the right to occupy second base?
Had the BR runner not been put out, then clearly R1 is forced to vacate 1B and advance to 2B, which in turn would force R2 to vacate 2B and advance to 3B. But with BR out, neither R1 nor R2 are forced to advance. But R1 did advance while R2 did not, and they are both now standing on 2B.
Simply put, if no runner is forced to advance because the batter became a batter-runner, then the runner first occupying a base has the right to that base. So in this case, R2 (who was originally on 2B) has the right to the base and would be ruled ‘safe’ when tagged. And R1 (originally on 1B) would be ruled ‘out’ when tagged.
I wrote this situation because, in my experience, many people get confused by this and think that because R1 advanced to 2B, then R2 must be forced to advance too. This is not true. There is a specific rule that makes this explicitly clear, but my apologies, I don’t have the rule book at hand. If anyone questions the validity of my statement above, let me know and I’ll cite the actual rule to support this.
As a fielder, when you see a situation like this and you’re not sure who’s in jeopardy, the prudent action is to tag BOTH runners and then let the umpire sort it out!
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 28, 2010
4:42:51 PM
Entry #: 3514776
| Explanation: #6 (not a force out)
A runner leaving early on a caught fly ball is a base-running infraction that must be properly appealed by the defense in order to get the out. Because the batter-runner was put out on the catch, such an appeal cannot ever be a force out. Therefore, it is a timing play. This distinction is important because, if it’s the third out, it affects whether or not other runner(s) can score (see the earlier cited Rule 5-8 on scoring of runs).
Note that for appeal plays, the appeal can be made either as a live-ball appeal or as a dead-ball appeal. Regardless of whether the ball is live or dead, an appeal must be clear and unambiguous. In most cases, the defense must make some action (usually tagging the base or the runner) and announce what infraction is being appealed. One exception is a live-ball appeal of a runner that left early on a caught fly ball.
If the runner is trying to get back to tag up, and the defense throws to the base, the appeal is considered so obvious that no announcement is required all that the defense needs to do is get the ball to the base before the runner tags up. This makes it look just like a force play, which makes some people think this is a force out. This is, of course, why I included this situation. By rule, this is an appeal but not a force out.
Below, I’ll cite the rules basis for this situation as well as for situation #7, which I’ll explain next time.
Rule 1-2 APPEAL PLAY
Is a play upon which an umpire cannot make a decision until requested by a manager, coach or player of either the defensive or the offensive team.
d. These are the types of appeals (11 in total):
1) Missing a base.
2) Leaving a base on a caught fly ball before the ball is first touched.
3) Batting out-of-order.
4) Attempting to advance to second base after making a turn at first base.
5) Illegal pitcher returning to the game as a pitcher.
6) Illegal substitutions.
7) Illegal re-entry.
8) Hitting a ball with an illegal or altered bat.
9) Making a play with an illegal glove.
10) Crossing over the commitment line and returning to third base.
11) Replacement player or returning withdrawn player not reporting to the umpire.
Rule 8-9: THE RUNNER IS OUT
h. When he leaves his base to advance to another base before a caught fly ball has touched a fielder provided:
1) That the ball is returned to a fielder and legally held on that base or
2) A fielder legally touches the runner before the runner returns to the base.
i. When he fails to touch the intervening base, or bases, in regular or reverse order and the ball is in play and is:
1) Legally held on that base or
2) The runner is legally touched while off the base he missed.
EXCEPTION: If a runner is obstructed at a base preventing him from touching the base.
EFFECT - /sec, 9h-k: These are appeal plays and the runner will not be out unless the appeal is made legally.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
September 15, 2010
7:51:12 AM
Entry #: 3573334
| Explanation: #7 (not a force out)
The runner from second had passed 3B before retreating to tag up at 2B. To do this legally, s/he must retouch 3B on the way back. By ‘cutting the corner’ and not retouching 3B, the runner has committed a base-running violation, but if the defense does not appeal, there is no penalty. This happens to be an appeal for a missed base and is not a force.
Explanation: #9 (force play at 2B)
I’ve deliberately skipped #8 for now because #9 should have followed #7. Here we have another appeal for a missed base with the subtle difference that the base missed was a forced base at the time it was missed.
Recall rule 5-8 on scoring of runs (cited earlier), which includes the phrase, “runner is forced out (including on an appeal play) due to the batter becoming a batter-runner.” There is only one appeal play that can ever be a force out, and that is an appeal for a missed base that was forced at the time it was missed.
There are two very important things to note regarding this:
1) The missed base must have been forced at the time it was missed. In this example, if the BR was put out a 1B before R1 missed 2B, the force is off. R1 can still be called out for the missed base, but it would no longer be considered a force out.
2) If the missed base was a forced base at the time it was missed, it doesn’t matter whether the BR or another succeeding runner is put out the missed-base appeal will still be considered a force out if properly appealed.
This second point may seem counterintuitive (it was for me!) it’s important to remember that the status (force or no force) at the time of the infraction matters and is not changed by a subsequent play. This is not at all clear from the rule book and requires interpretations such as those in the umpire case book.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
September 15, 2010
7:57:35 AM
Entry #: 3573337
| Now for the one I skipped:
8. With runner on third (R3), batter hits a bouncing ball to F5. The runner is off on contact, and F5 throws to home. F2 receives the ball and touches the plate before R3 touches or crosses the scoring line. Is this a force play?
Explanation: No, this is not a force play. Recall that a force only happens when the runner is forced to advance because the batter became a batter-runner. Therefore, R3 would only be forced to advance to home if the bases were loaded.
But because of the commitment line and the rules regarding it, this will always play out similar to a force play, but for the purposes of scoring runs, it is not considered a force play. For example, with bases loaded and 2 out, batter hits a line drive to the outfield. R3 and R2 score, but R1 is thrown out at home for the third out. If this really were a force play, then neither R3 nor R2 would score. But it’s not a force out, so all runners that crossed the safe line before the third out would score.
I don’t know if people found the above monologue at all interesting, but I’m hoping a few did.
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
February 18, 2011
10:17:04 AM
Entry #: 3656935
| Important follow-up to Situation 9: Softball Canada has now clarified that an appeal for a missed base will only count as a force out if that base was still forced at the time of appeal (rather than time of infraction). This was apparently the intent of the 2009 rulebook, but that wasn't abundantly clear, so for the 2011 rulebook, they have added clarification on this. Personally, I think this is good in that it brings the rule more to how people would intuitively apply this rule.
For confirmation, see the Softball Alberta website (in the 'links' tab, or www.softballalberta.ca) and click on the link for 2011 SP Rule Changes.
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