[greymule]

Several decades ago, I actually committed this offense as the runner who missed the plate and was returning to touch it when the third out was made, which in this case was the following runner out at home. The ump called the out at home, and then pointed to me and said, "And you don't count!"

What made it worse for me was that my returning caused the following runner to slow down. He would have been safe otherwise. So I created 2 outs and cost us 2 runs. (We won the game anyway, which is evidenced by the fact that I am still here to discuss the matter.)

The next time I came to bat, I asked the ump whether that shouldn't have been an appeal play, and he said, "Maybe you're right." So I assumed for decades that I had been robbed, until a discussion of the play arose on this board a while back. What was apparently agreed upon (at least in OBR), was that by attempting to return, the runner has acknowledged missing the plate, and his run does not score. (This is entirely different from touching a missed base during a dead ball, which is of course permitted in some cases.)

There's certainly a legitimate argument both ways, and maybe in NCAA or other codes there's a case play. But absent a definitive ruling, I would not count the run.

It seems to me somewhat analogous to the play in which the runner from 1B leaves too soon on a long fly that is caught, tries to make 3B, and slides in safe as the relay sails over F5 and into the stands. The umpire awards home, but if the runner returns to touch 1B, the umpire changes the award to 3B. In other words, the runner's acknowledgment of his error causes the umpire to recognize it and take it into account, without any sort of appeal on the part of the defense.

On the other hand, this well-known play seems to be evidence the other way:

Abel on 3B, Baker on 1B, two outs. Ground ball up the middle. F6 gloves the ball in front of 2B and attempts to tag the sliding Baker instead of tagging the base. The tag is missed, but Baker slides past the base without touching it. As Baker scrambles back to the base, F6 tags him before he is able to return. Abel scored before the tag was applied for the third out (a "time play"). The defense appeals that Baker missed 2B, hoping to get a force out—an advantageous fourth out—to negate the run.

Ruling: The appeal is denied and the run counts.