I agree, a force play is defined as "A FORCE PLAY is a play in which a runner legally loses his right to occupy a base by reason of the batter becoming a runner."
The batter becoming a runner creates a force on any other base runner but not on himself.
Also 7.08 (e) states "The force is removed as soon as the runner touches the base to which he is forced to advance, and if he overslides or overruns the base, the runner must be tagged to be put out. However, if the forced runner, after touching the next base, retreats for any reason towards the base he had last occupied, the force play is reinstated, and he can again be put out if the defense tags the base to which he is forced"
7.08 (e)talks about a forced runner retreating towards a base he last occupied and since the batter did not occupy a base, and wasn't forced to advance, the force can't be reinstated.
I am not advocating calling abandonment the moment he starts back to the dugout. The "obviously abandoning his effort to run the bases" gives an umpire latitude in making what is obviously a judgement call, and I would be lenient in applying that rule.
I don't think however that stating that the force is reinstated if he goes back towards the plate is erroneous.
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Originally posted by LDUB
Quote:
Originally posted by greymule
Absent a ruling, I'll go with the "reinstated force" theory. The BR has to get to first, whether we interpret his presence in the batter's box as "occupying" home or not.
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6.05
A batter is out when (j) After a third strike or after he hits a fair ball, he or first base is tagged before he touches first base.
You are straight up making up rules. First off there is no force, so how can the force be reinstated? Read 6.05, has the BR touched first base? If he has, then the base can no longer be tagged to retire him. The rule makes no reference to if the BR retreats back past first base.
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