Missed base

[Robert G]

1st & 2nd ground ball to F6 who elects to go for the force at third.R2 overslides 3rd & misses the bag.The throw is too late & F5 is not on the bag. Realizing this F5 tags R2 before he can touch third. The defenses coach said all he had to do was tag third not the runner because it was a force. Is he right? Also I made no call until he was tagged. Should I have signaled safe?

[Buster]

Your mechanic was correct. He is presumed safe when he reached/passed the bag even though he missed it. If R2 is scrambling back to 3B he must be tagged.

Buster

[Gee]

Again, the coach is wrong on this. The force was removed when the runner reached/passed the base, even though he missed it. An appeal is not allowed during unrelaxed action, the runner must be tagged, good call. G.

[Robert Brown]

Appeals are made during continuous action (unrelaxed action) all the time. For example, a fly ball caught, runner doesn't tag up. The throw to the base to nail the runner before he gets back to the base is during continuous action.

There isn't anything that prevents an appeal being made during continuous action. The batter hits a triple and misses first base. There is nothing to prevent the offense from appealing first while the batter-runner is still running around the bases. Of course if the umpire rules that he didn't miss it, the offense is screwed.

The offense could appeal this runner for missing the base he is forced to while the runner is scrambling back to the base, although chances of this happening in this situation is remote.

[Gee]

Mr, Brown, Continuous action and unrelaxed action require different mechanics because they are two different concepts.

Unrelaxed action only comes into play on a missed base not on a retag. The whole world knows the runner didn't tag up after a catch when he is scrambling back to the base, you don't even have to bring it to the umpires attention. Just get the ball and touch the base. OUT.

Missing a base calls for a different mechanic because the whole world doesn't know the runner has missed the base.

To appeal it you must bring it to the attention of the umpire as an unmistakable appeal.

Unrelaxed action requires the runner and the ball to be in the vicinity of the missed base. No time for an appeal, need a tag.

On your play where the runner is running into third after missing first and they appeal first. That is continuous action but not unrelaxed action, as the runner is not in the vicinity of the missed base and is not making an effort to return. It is relaxed action for the purposes of the appeal. Therefore an appeal is allowed.

Finally, the offense CANNOT appeal a runner for missing a base he is forced to if he has rounded it and then is scrambling back.

Once the runner rounds the base he has removed the force. If he is scrambling back he must be tagged, an appeal would not be allowed.

Old sitch: R1 and R3, 2 outs, OBR.

Batter singles to right, R3 scores, R1 rounds second on his way to third but then holds up and scrambles back to second.(Unrelaxed action) Ball comes in and he is tagged out.

Run scores, force is removed and you are not allowed an appeal on the missed base after the tag out as you cannot get two outs on the same runner on the same base.

However if you are doing Minor League ball, I'm sure you would be pleased to know that the PBUC has made a recent rulling that an appeal would be allowed after the tag out and the run would not be allowed. That's another story. G.

[Edited by Gee on Aug 21st, 2001 at 06:37 AM]