Leaving First Early

[waltjp]

I'm with Steve on the pivot at second base. If the fielder touches the bag and receives a good throw I'll ring up the out. The defense did what they were supposed to do and there's no reason to force someone to linger and possibly get spiked by a sliding runner. Conversely, if the throw is bad and pulls the pivot man off the base I'm not giving them the out.

Same logic applies to the phantom tag on a steal. If they receive the ball and get the glove down before the runner arrives I have an out. Please don't read this to mean that I say that the runner is out if the ball beats him there - the fielder must still get the tag down. I'm not rewarding a lazy tag.

When I was a young umpire I used to argue against both of these items. Now, with age and experience on my side, I see it differently.