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TOPIC: leaving a base before the ball is contacted |
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| Keela (wyecliff 25)
June 7, 2005
4:37:07 PM
Entry #: 885838
| Hello.I was just wondering if a player who leaves a base before the ball is struck is still out if the ump does not see it.I was under the understanding that they were but we have played a team who thinks otherwise.Could you fill me in?Thanks
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| Bret - CCA Cubs
June 8, 2005
6:42:10 PM
Entry #: 888342
| Hi Keela, I'm not 100% sure but we have usually played it like this...if the player leaves the base before the ball is contacted and an appeal is made by the opposing team (the one in the field) then the umpire asks the player if he/she lifted their foot off of the base...hopefully everyone is honest in their reply and a call is made based on their (the base runners) answer...It ultimately is the umps final decision. It is extremely unusual for an umpire to see a base runner leave the bases early without the help of the opposing team because they are pre-occupied with the hitter and what is happening in the batting box...so in the spirit of fairplay honesty is the best policy!!
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| Dennis (Hosanna)
June 13, 2005
2:04:40 PM
Entry #: 896188
| What Bret wrote is correct, but it's not wordy enough, so let me fix that:
1. Leaving base before the ball is contacted by the bat is our league-specific definition of leading off. Note that the official rule is slightly different; Softball Canada (and NSA and SPN) all define leading off as leaving base before the pitched ball reaches or passes home plate or is contacted by the bat. But for our league, we simplify it to contact with the bat.
2. If an umpire doesn't see an out, the umpire cannot call an out. This is a basic umpiring principle that is taught in the certification courses held by Softball Canada. Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to expect the umpire to see everything, and this is especially true of a one-umpire system. But with practise, certain things become easier, and blowing a call is the quickest way to learn!
3. Our league Rules of Conduct state, "The umpire has ultimate authority and his rulings are final. However, if you know you are out or the other person is safe and the umpire makes a wrong call, it is our responsibility to admit the correct call and call yourself out, or the other player safe, as the case may be."
So clearly, in the case described, the runner should admit that he/she left base early when the defensive team appealed on the lead off. Unfortunately, not everyone plays fair.
4. When a runner leads off, the umpire should call "no pitch" and then "out" on the runner. This means that the pitch doesn't count as either a ball or a strike, so if the lead off wasn't the third out, then the batter continues his/her turn at bat with the same ball/strike count as before the last pitch (and if it was the third out, then that batter bats over to begin that team's next at bat).
OK, I'm done.
Dennis
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| keela (Wyecliff 25)
June 14, 2005
1:08:06 PM
Entry #: 898140
| Thank you both.
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