Does Run count?

[Dave Reed]

greymule,

The crux of the plays under discussion is that the bases are loaded, and R3 is forced to advance on an award. A situation with only R1 is not relevant.

The question is: Is R3's advance to the plate (when forced to advance by an award with 2 outs) a timing play or not? OBR 7.04b and the following CMT make clear that it is not a timing play. [As an aside, notwithstanding Internet discussion and rationalization, the rules of baseball give the same effect to a put out and a declared out.]

If the force is removed, then subsequent scoring opportunities are timing plays. So on a walk, if for example R2 abandons before reaching third, then R3 doesn't score. For both single and multi-base awards, if B/R misses first or deserts, no runs score (in this case, because of 4.09). For multi-base awards, if B/R reaches first safely but is out before safely reaching second, only one run automatically scores, etc.

That's for OBR. NCAA has two inconsistent rulings:

NCAA 8-3a:
a. If forced to vacate the base because of a following runner;
A.R.—With two outs, if a runner is awarded home but does not touch the plate before a following runner is put out for the third out, the run scores unless the batter-runner was declared out before reaching first base or any other runner was declared out before reaching the base to which he was forced.

This A.R. corresponds well to OBR 7.04b. The other NCAA ruling which is inconsistent with both OBR and the above NCAA ruling (and in my opinion, wrong) is:

8-5m A.R.—With fewer than two outs, if a batter, while running the bases after a home run outside the playing field, passes a preceding runner, the batter is out; but all preceding runners score. With two outs, only those preceding runners score who have touched the plate before the batter is declared out. This is a time play, not an appeal play.