"Force" redux

[cbfoulds]

Originally posted by Gee
Are you trying to bring up 'touching bases out of order". Please don't go there.

In order to be guilty of touching bases out of order you have to touch more than one base.

In this case the only base touched is first so how can the runner be guilty of touching bases out of order? He might be guilty of passing or running bases out of order but the rule says TOUCHING. G.

Gee:
If this question is directed to me, I guess the answer is no, but I can't quite figure out what you are referring to.

My reference was to 7.10(b):

"Any runner shall be called out, on appeal, when ...
(b) With the ball in play, while advancing or returning to a base, he fails to touch each base in order before he, or a missed base, is tagged."

In greymule's scenario, BR touched 1st, "retreated" toward Home, then took off to [and winds up at] 2nd without re-touching 1st. The defense then appeals the miss of 1st (on the "last time by"). On these facts and 7.10(b), I would declare the runner out; however, this has NOTHING to do with "reinstating the force" at 1st. And, BTW, it also has nothing to do with "removing the touch of 1st" when the runner retreats. You will not find anything in the rule book about "removing the touch" in this set of circumstances.

[Edited by cbfoulds on Aug 4th, 2004 at 11:44 PM]