[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by RKBUmp

Posted on a baseball forum, but regarding a softball game. Rule set not specified.

Bases loaded, batter hit by pitch. Runner from 3rd advances home and steps over the plate and is headed for dugout. Defensive coach yells at catcher, "TAG HER, SHE MISSED THE PLATE!". Runner now turns to run back and touch the base and is tagged by the catcher.

Being that its on a baseball board have gotten everything from the ball has to be live to cant be appealed until the runner enters the dugout. Brings up some questions and seems it could depend on rule set.

1. When can the defense make the dead ball appeal? Must they wait until the runner physically enters the dugout? NFHS 2-3-2 says the defense must wait to appeal until the runner has completed their base running responsibilities if the ball has gone out of play. The ball has not gone out of play in this situation. ASA in the rule supplements appears to indicate it is umpire judgement as to when the runner has completed their responsibilities. If its obvious the runner was not returning to touch until the defensive coach yelled, have they completed their base running responsibilities and can the defense make the dead ball appeal? I would consider her to have completed her running obligations that the moment she made no attempt to return and touch the plate. While not the same, there is a crossover reference to this in the rules/casebook. In the reference, a player misses the plate on what is presumed to be a tag play at the plate. The umpire is instructed to withhold a call until it can be determined if either the defense, or the offense makes an attempt to tag (defense), or return (offense). If neither happens the ruling to signal safe. In some ways, the same situation applies. The runner has not made an attempt to return, thus indicating to everyone the runner is not going to return. What messes this up is the defensive coach yelling. My take on this is once I have made my mind up on the play, the play is dead and we go to an appeal stage. These really are HTBT situations to get the real time timing down.

2. NFHS allows for coaches to make appeals, ASA must be a player. Would you consider the coach yelling, "Tag her, she missed the plate!" to be a valid appeal, or just something he yelled to the catcher?

Since I have no ability to tag the runner, to me that is an instruction to the catcher, not an appeal to an umpire that the base was missed.

Response in Red