Baserunning rules question

[Spence]

Originally posted by aevans410
The key word is "to avoid being tagged". Leaving the path that you were taking to the base in order to avoid a tag being placed on you AT that time. You can take any path from base to base you want to, but if the fielder is in your way with the ball and tries to tag you, once you try to get around the fielder by leaving the "baseline", your out.

Logically, I understand what you're saying.

However, the wording in the rules that says "direct line between the bases" as the basis for the 3 feet boundary seems to contradict that.

In our example, at what point in the play has F4 established the 'baseline'? How close does he have to be in order for the runner to be avoiding the tag? Is the baseline a direct line between F4 and the runner at the time F4 starts out towards him?

There seems to be too many open interpretations using your logic and , again, it goes against what the wording seems to be saying.