[greymule]

The ASA casebook play is basically this: R1 on 3B, R2 on 2B, two outs. B3 strikes out but the ball gets away from F2. B3 does not run but instead watches R1 score and R2 get put out at the plate for the third out. Then the defense throws to 1B to get B3.

The ruling is that B3 didn't score and so the defense cannot get an advantageous fourth out. R1's run counts.

Before the rule change, ASA gave the exact same case play and ruled B3 out on the fourth-out appeal, and R1's run was nullified.

The change is several years old. ASA is the only code I know of that handles fourth outs this way.

PS. My own feeling, whether or not fourth-out appeals on nonscoring runners are permitted, is that the fourth out on the batter at 1B is not an appeal. It's simply playing on the batter before he gets to 1B. However, that's not the way they interpret it.