double play..or not
 

This happened in a game I was watching. 10 year olds USSSA. Baserunner on 2nd base. Pitcher begins his pitch from a full windup, runner recognizes this and steals (occupies) third before the pitcher releases the ball toward home. Batter then hits linedrive to F6 who tosses to F4. Umpire calls batter out, and runner out. My question is, did the runner establish 3rd base, and was he entitled to the bag without fear of bring doubled off.

He's out. It's the time of the pitch (which starts when the delivery starts) that matters here.

It's a DP. The time of the pitch in a windup begins when a pitcher starts his usual legal movements in the process of pitching and not when the pitcher releases the ball. In layman's terms, it generally begins when he steps back with his nonpivot foot in his normal pitching process with his hands going up. Because R2 was still considered occupying second, he's out on the DP.

No. By your description, the last base the runner occupied at time of pitch was second base. Time of pitch would be the time that the pitcher was committed to pitching the ball, which in a full windup would be when he stepped back with his non pivot foot.

My Gosh! How fast is this kid???:eek:

He's so fast one time he hit a rope line drive and it hit him when he was rounding 2nd...

Just like Cool Papa Bell, he can turn off the light switch and be in bed under the covers before the light goes off...

In USSSA, they play modified OBR, with safety, pitching, and diamond dimentions being the chief differences. They have leading off at all levels, but the diamonds are proportionately sized by age group. This is from their rule book:

BALKS
In age divisions 10 and below, pitchers will be allowed some leniency in regard to balks. Pitchers will be called for all major violations and warned for minor violations that do not affect the outcome of a play. In all other divisions, balks will be strictly enforced without warning.

http://usssabaseball.org/Forms/2003-...ll%20Rules.pdf

It is said that when he was in high school, Bo Jackson once hit a fly ball that
was so high, he was able to circle the bases completely before the ball came down.

Yeah, and Barry Bonds is so quick with the needle nobody has ever seen him take steroids too.......

That's cold, but probably very true.

MTD, Sr.