Quote:
Originally Posted by dash_riprock
Unless he is attempting to confuse the defense or make a travesty of the game, his retreat to 2nd is legal.
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I don't see this as retreat to second. He legally acquired third base, but was a few feet off his base. The fact that he overran the base simply makes him liable to be tagged out while off base. However he IS "on" third, and therefore occupies it.
I once saw an MLB game where a slightly different situation occured: Batter hits ground ball and beats throw to first base. After running several feet past first base, he made a slight left turn before walking back to first base. The umpire called him out. (He may have been tagged while returning). This call drew an argument from the offensive team. The umpire ruled that he "turned" toward second.