Quote:
Originally Posted by bluehair
What would really be too bad would be the ire incurred by the umpire crew (from both teams) if my partner OOO'd a safe call on a two-handed tag like this. YMMV
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First off, there is no such thing as a "two-handed tag" in any rule book that I know of.
By definition, a Tag only happens when the fielder tags the runner with his glove/mitt, and the ball is secure in that glove/mitt. Or it happens when the fielder tags the runner with the ball or bare hand, and the ball is secure in that bare hand.
What you call a "two-handed tag" is when the fielder tags the runner with his glove/mitt, and the ball is either secured in the glove/mitt or the bare hand
inside the glove/mitt. By the definition of Tag, a tag with the glove/mitt while the ball is being held in the bare hand inside the glove/mitt would not meet the criterion of a legal tag. But since there is no way an umpire can actually see the disposition of the ball--Is it being held by the glove/mitt or by the hand?--during the moment of the tag, the fielder is given the benefit of the doubt.
What you feel is a two-handed tag is nothing more than touching a runner with an empty glove/mitt. No way that's a legal tag.