[greymule]

This from good authority:

greymule's question:

Batter hits a fly ball to short right, runs to 1B, and sees the right fielder apparently make the catch. Batter-runner assumes he’s out, immediately turns around, and retreats down the 1B line toward his dugout. However, the right fielder drops the ball and the umpire is signaling “no catch.” The batter-runner is halfway back toward home when his teammates scream for him to run to 1B. The right fielder picks up the ball and throws to the first baseman, who steps on 1B before the batter-runner arrives.

The question is, Is the batter-runner out, or does he have to be tagged once he has touched 1B and retreated?

e-mail to greymule from his friend Steve Greenberg:

Here is Fay Vincent's response, per Bruce Froemming:

Steve--
Remarkably I was correct. The runner must be tagged out. Bruce says once the runner touches a base he must be tagged to be put out. Of course if he has run out of the baseline or has not reached first before he turns away, that is different. But Bruce was quick and crisp and I did not ask to play the game under protest. Over to you. Best
Fay

"Bruce says once the runner touches a base he must be tagged to be put out." I hope that this is just a quick paraphrase, and that "a base" really should read "first base."

[Edited by greymule on Aug 13th, 2004 at 08:17 AM]