Quote:
Originally posted by Rich Ives
Quote:
Originally posted by UMP25
And from the J/R manual:
Quote:
|
A runner (including the batter-runner) awarded a base due to a base on balls or detached gear (live ball awards) cannot be tagged out unless such runner passes his awarded base with intent to advance. [6.08a][7.04b]
|
This is under the section dealing with the batter-runner out/not out.
This appears to contradict Evans' book. Tim, let us know what you find out next month at the clinic.
[Edited by UMP25 on Feb 9th, 2006 at 06:55 PM]
|
Evans is wrong.
MLBUM:
5.13 NOTE: The batter-runner is not prohibited from overrunning first base on a base on balls (i.e., the batter-runner may overrun first base on a base on balls and is not in jeopardy of being put out provided he returns immediately to first base). (See Official Baseball Rules 7.08(c)(EXCEPTION), 7.080), and 7.10(c).)
|
There are two issues here. And
Baseball's Knotty Problems explains. In brief (without all the history): If a batter-runner runs by first (thinking he could try for second on a wild pitch but changes his mind), he cannot be tagged out. But if he walks and stops at first, he can be tagged out if he steps off the base. It's up in the air whether he is out if he steps off the base
away from the plate. Everybody knows he's out if he steps off toward second or back toward the plate.
Touching this other thing, as Henry VIII said in
A Man for All Season: Tee emailed to say that there was a difference of opinion here about calling the half swing. Here's my reply:
I do it the old-fashioned way:
"Ball. No, he didn' go!" Cuts down on appeals and on overturned strike calls.
"Strike!" Point to batter: "Yes, he went." Cuts down on batters turning around and asking: "On the plate or on the swing?"
Someone said he didn't want to say, "No, he didn't go," and then get overruled because that would make him look stupid.
That doesn't make any sense. The plate umpire is "saying" the batter checked his swing when he simply calls "Ball!" For if he thought it was a strike....
Saying "No, he didn't go!" acknowledges you saw a half swing. For whatever reason, you felt the batter held up. "Check him, check him." So you check, and Old Smitty says: "Yes, he went."
Big deal. Perhaps he
did go. Sometimes our view is blocked, or we blink, or flinch, or go to sleep for a moment.
If you forcefully point out you saw the pitch and, four feet from the batter, decide he didn't go, you're going to get overturned a lot less often.
Besides, you want a reason? That's the way professional clinicians teach it.