[ctblu40]

My outgoing e-mail:

A situation has presented itself during a discussion on a message board that has seemed to reach a stalemate. I was wondering if you could offer some guidance. The situation is this:



R2,R3, - R3 in a run down, R2 moves to and is on third base, R3 is retreating to third, stumbles as he gets to third, trips and heads past third toward the outfield, over running the bag, Third baseman heads to tag R3 off the bag. Whats the call??



My response was that R2 should be called out for passing R3, and if R3 is tagged off the bag, he too should be called out.



Another poster replied that "(I) Can't see how you can rule R2 out for passing R3 on this play unless R3's stumble took him CONSIDERABLY toward 2nd base (completely and unmistakenly behind R2 if viewed from, say, PU's vantagepoint). A simple stumble up the 3rd baseline doesn't put him "behind" 3rd base - it just puts him OFF 3rd base and liable to be tagged."



What would the correct ruling be?

And the reply....

The person who posted the opinion near the end of your email is exactly right. The only way R2 would be out for passing is if he moved his body to the home plate side of third base while R3 was off the base toward left field OR R3 returned behind R2 in the direction of second base. It is of course umpire judgment as to whether R2 passed R3, but in the way it is described, he has not.



Hope that helps,

Rick

mcrowder, SAump and the rest......

I bow to you and am humbled by your presence.... now where's my plate of Crow?