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Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve
From Jim Evans:
A TAG is the action of a fielder in touching a base with his body while holding the ball securely and firmly in his hand or glove; or touching a runner with the ball, or with his hand or glove holding the ball, while holding the ball securely and firmly in his hand or glove.
Cross References: 6.05(j), 6.09(b)Notes, 7.08(a..l), 7.08(c, d, e, k), 7.l0(a-d)
This definition originally appeared in this exact wording in the recodification of 1950.
The distinction in this definition is clear. When tagging a base, a player may use any part of his body (e.g. foot, hand, shoulder) as long as he has secure possession of the ball in his hand or glove at the time he touches the base.
When tagging a runner; a player must have secure possession of the ball in the hand which touches the runner, or, have secure possession of the ball in the glove which touches the runner.
In establishing the validity of secure possession at the time of a tag, the umpire should determine that the player held the ball long enough and did not juggle the ball or momentarily lose possession before gaining full control and touching the runner.
Unlike a catch, a legal tag is based on the status of the ball at the time the runner or base is touched and not on the final proof of possession.
According to this interpretation, the foot, hand, shoulder, etc., are all considered body parts, even though they may or may not be covered with uniforms, gloves, shoes or other items typical of a fielder.
J/R has this to say:
"Catch" and "Tag" are similar concepts. A tag occurs when the ball is live and a fielder has the ball in his hand or glove (or both) and:
a) a base is touched by his person or
b) a runner is touched by any part of the glove/ball or hand/ball combination.
This interpretation replaces the word "body" with "person" and must include an empty glove, as long as the ball is securely held in the other hand, if it also includes a player's shoes, which are technically not part of his "person" either.
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