|
Originally posted by greymule
EG: R1, no outs, hit and run. A fly is batted to right-center field and R1 touches and rounds second base on his advance. An outfielder dives and catches the fly. R1 reverses direction, misses second base on his way back, and the throw to first goes wild into the dugout. R1 is awarded third. He retouches first, touches second, and proceeds to third: an appeal of second is denied. The runner touched it his final time past the base.
I called him out, but everybody told me I should have said nothing until the defense appealed. Since the runner missed 2B by about 8 body lengths, had I made the right call?
IMO, the last time by theory is trying to "level out the playing field". By that I mean in general terms baseball rules do not or should not favor the team that errs.
ok one might say well there were 2 errors so shouldn't they both be penalized. IMO, it depends.
Example; R1 hit and run; r1 touches second on route to third, sees the ball caught reverses direction touches second on his way back to first but the ball is thrown into DBT. Umpire calls time and awards R1 third base. R1 properly touches first and second on route to third.
Suppose r2 didn't touch second on his way back to first base during live ball but was "in the vinicity" why should we subsequently reward the Defense for making a bad play?
The result will be the same. The runner is awarded 2 bases from TOT, so in effect the missing of the base on the way back did not gain him / her any advantage unless there was gross negligance meaning the runner cut right across the diamond trying to gain an advantage.
One day the rules might be simplified to simply say if the Defense throws the ball into DBT - No appeals allowed. The defense is throwing to first to try and double up the runner. If they make a bad play they should be penalized and IMO that's what the concept of Last time by is attempting to do.
Everyone sees the ball going into DBT and thinks the runner should be awarded something but not everyone sees the miss base.
Pete Booth
__________________
Peter M. Booth
|