|
Kono,
Think about appeals for a minute. Think about the difference between relaxed and unrelaxed action.
If the runner had slid past home plate but failed to touch the plate as F2 received the ball, and immediatley begins to scramble back to the plate, has she scored yet. No. We would wacth F2 to see if a tag is applied. The runner, by her actions tells everbody that she has not yet scored.
Is this an appeal of the missed plate or continuing action on the tag play? I would argue that it is interprated by everone seeing the game as part of the play.
The mechanics at home are even different. If a runner misses home, the umpire makes no signal, unlike the play at first where he is instructed to give the safe signal if the runner has passed the bag before the defense touches the bag.
Also, just passing a bag does not always make a runner safe. Gross misses are misses even if the runner is technically past the bag. ie: I don't think you would find any umpire who would allow a runner to cut the corner between frist and second at a 22 1/2 degree angle missing first by several feet, and rule her safe because she was "past" first when the ball arrived. That would be gaining an advantage not intended by the rules.
The runner must have passed so close to the bag, that she could have touched it. (I have only seen this concept written as authoritave opinion in a discussion of "last time by" by G. Lucy and W. Wilson.)
Therefore, when a runner who has missed the plate, tells the opposing players, the fans, and the umpires by their actions that they have not yet scored, why would we fail to acknowledge their admission?
Roger Greene
|