[greymule]

We went through this play and its various "what ifs" in depth last year. In OBR, if the runner has initiated a return to 1B, the award is two bases from 1B. If he simply goes to 3B and makes no attempt to tag up at 1B, he is awarded home, but of course the defense will appeal and his run won't count. The tricky play there comes about if the runner leaves a little before the catch and makes his way to 3B. If the umpire awards him only 3B, it is tantamount to announcing to the defense that the runner did not tag up.

In ASA, if the runner was between 2B and 3B when the throw left the fielder's hand, he would be awarded home no matter what (although he would still have to tag up at 1B). But one detail was recently changed: two years ago, the runner had to be between 2B and 1B when the throw entered DBT; if he was still between 3B and 2B, he could not return legally to retouch 1B (as in Fed). Now, however, the runner can retouch as long as he initiates a return before the award is made.