Quote:
Originally posted by bob jenkins
I think the answer to this question is "No."
That is, neither of the options presented are correct -- the runner needn't "stop, go back and touch 2nd BEFORE he touched first", nor "would he still be vulnerable to an appeal after touching 1st without correcting his miss of 2nd even if he later touched 2nd base while accepting his 2-base award."
If the runner touches ("tags up") first, then touches second, then proceeds to third, he's completed his baserunning responsibilities and any appeal will be denied.
No, I'm sure Warren know this. So, I'm wondering what the strange twist and where / why / how "PBUC has evidently changed its "mind" on the pivotal question in the last few years."
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Congratulations, Bob. You are correct on all
3 counts - (1)the runner needn't stop and go back to touch 2nd, (2)he will not be vulnerable to appeal if he touches 1st and then properly proceeds to 3rd and (3)yes, I DID already know that.
Credit also goes to Rich Fronheiser, GarthB and Roger Greene for correctly choosing the 2nd option and using
Last Time By to decide any subsequent appeal at 2nd.
The inciting play explores the meaning of OBR 7.10(b) AR2 which says:
When the ball is dead, no runner may return to touch a missed base or one left after having advanced to and touched a base beyond the missed base.
The argument revolved around what it was to "
advance to and touch a base beyond the missed base."
There are those who believe that the "base beyond" is determined by the runner's direction of travel at the time the ball became dead. They are aided in their perception by an explanatory play in JEA that says:
One out...the runner from first is running on the pitch...the batter hits a fly ball to right field. The runner has already passed 2nd. After the catch...the runner misses second in his retreat back to first. The right fielder throws wildly into the stands trying to double up the returning runner. The runner reaches first safely and is awarded third base. He touches second and advances on to third. May the defense appeal the original missed base?
RULING: An appeal shall be upheld if properly made. When the ball is dead, a player may not retouch a missed base after he has advanced to and touched a base beyond the missed base..7.10(b) Approved RULING 2.
Clearly the JEA play lends credible support to the idea that 1st base is "a base beyond" 2nd base when the runner was retreating. That has been the key point of disagreement. OTOH, and in fairness to Evans, JEA may have been implying that the runner needed to touch 2nd TWICE before advancing to and touching 3rd the final time. Either reading of the JEA ruling is possible.
On the other side of the argument we have a 12/15/2000 PBUC ruling, reported in BRD #4 Off-Interp 3-4, which I consider fairly conclusive:
A runner who left a base too soon and missed a subsequent base when returning would still be permitted to retouch both bases in order when accepting his award.
That interpretation appears contrary to JEA, and their own Umpire Manual Section 3.10, but is directly supported by the latest 2003 version of J/R.
Both recent interpretations - PBUC and J/R - rely heavily on the
Last Time By guideline to correct the missed base error on the base award while the ball is dead. BRD #4 Off-Interp 2-4 says:
A runner who has missed a base either advancing or retreating may correct his error by touching the base his "last time by."
The "dilemma", for those who said the runner should return to 2nd to correct his miss BEFORE retreating to 1st to correct the leaving early error, is that by advancing to, and touching, 2nd base AFTER the ball became dead the runner would actually be PROHIBITED from then correcting the leaving early error under OBR 7.10(b) AR2.
If you subscribe to the JEA interpretation of 7.10(b)AR2, and I certainly don't, a
defensive error can prevent the
offense from legally correcting one or other of the live ball base running errors. As one correspondent pointed out, that would allow the defense to guarantee an appeal out at either base by throwing the ball out of play.
I don't know for a fact but I am inclined to believe that Evans was not aware of the "
last time by" professional guideline when he last published JEA in 1991 (I think). In my view, the 2000 PBUC interpretations, and the subsequent supporting 2003 J/R ruling, are conclusive.
The runner may correct BOTH errors provided that he corrects them in the order they occurred ie. he touches 1st to correct the leaving early and THEN touches 2nd and 3rd in taking his award. The missed base at 2nd would be corrected by his legal advance the "
last time by" when taking his award.
I am pleased to have found such solid support for my view here at Officials Forum. I was beginning to feel a little isolated in that view at the other forum.
Cheers, and thanks for playing.
