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But does he also have the option of going back to the base itself instead of the place the base occupied? My gut says yes, but it's not really backed up by the rules.
Here's what's causing me to doubt my gut...
R2 slides into 3B and knocks it loose 5 feet into foul territory on a direct line from 2B through 3B. R1 would gain no advantage at all from the positioning of that bag. If he comes around to third, a fielder making a play on him just needs to set up where the bag should be in order to make a tag.
But R2 returning to third after heading toward home now has two places to return to. A fielder trying to tag him has to worry about defending two different "bases": the actual bag and the spot the bag originally occupied.
This situation isn't likely to happen, so it may be pointless to discuss it. But it's an interesting excercise.
If the fielder sets up at the 3B to tag the runner, but the runner heads for the bag instead, is the runner leaving the baseline to avoid the tag?
The rules say following runners can go to whichever they choose, but should that be applied to the runner who knocked it loose as well? Would your call change if he's clearly choosing one position over the other in order to avoid a tag?
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