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OBR. R3 tries to score on a base hit, but the throw to home beats him easily. The catcher tries to tag him but R3 jumps over his outstretched hands - and also jumps completely over home plate, missing it. The umpire makes no call. The runner has run several strides toward his (1st base) dugout, and hears teammates yelling, "You missed the plate!" He starts to return, and the catcher takes a step toward him to apply a tag. R3, realizing that if he is quickly tagged the other runners will not be able to advance further, so he stops and takes a step back.
The question is, do you call R3 out for taking this "retreating" step? He has not reached the dugout. He has not gone more that 3 feet out of a direct line from where he is to home plate. He has simply taken a step backward to prolong being tagged. If you call him out, what's the reason - abandoning his efforts to run the bases? You wouldn't call a runner in a rundown out for retreating. What's the call?
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