out of baseline at home plate
 

Watching the Cubs vs. Mets yesterday evening Hill the Cubs catcher has the ball well before the Mets runner reaches the plate and is bracing for the collision. The runner runs around Hill who lunges for him and misses and Hill loses the race to the plate. Any other base and the runner probably is called out for being out of the baseline. I had no problem with the call but I was just wondering how far in the vicinity of the plate must the runner go before he would be called out for being out of the baseline? I know more leeway is given around the plate but how much?

3.27 feet.

Give or take .27 feet.

1) 3.000001 ft.
2) .000001 ft.

In my amateurish opinion, not being anywhere near good enough to make calls like this at the major league level, I would say that if the catcher had to lunge more than 3 feet away from a direct line between the runner and the plate, that he should have been called out for being out of the baseline.

The catcher was on the baseline - a kneeling straddle.

The runner was already 4-5 feet on the foul side of the line before the catcher had the ball.

Upon receiving the throw, the catcher lunged at the runner who took one step away from him and "arched" away from the tag.

There were no objections from the defense.

Step and reach. If he does both and still can't touch the runner, call the out.

Our boy is growing up....

Good call Canada...

Thanks for filling in the missing information. I was picturing the runner coming straight into the waiting catcher and then veering away. That makes a big difference.

Repeat after me, "BASEPATH, BASEPATH, BASEPATH."

Bob

This magic mantra of yours will make it no easier to explain the rule to a coach, and ignores the terminology of the actual rule. :rolleyes:

Read the rule:

7.08 Any runner is out when—
(a) (1) He runs more than three feet away from his baseline to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely;

I think the key w/ this rule is "his baseline" versus "the baseline"

In all the associations I belonged to in Southern California, it was referred to as “basepath”.

From: BASEBALL RULES by Major League Baseball and have been reproduced - without any alteration - by Baseball Almanac:

"7.08 Any runner is out when-

(a) (1) He runs more than three feet away from a direct line between bases to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball; or..."

Where did YOUR 7.08 come from?

Bob

You might want to get your rules updated. The version Rich is quoting is the new 7.08 incorporated in the latest changes to OBR.

BASEPATH..BASEPATH..BASEPATH...

Nope.. still safe :D

A rulebook that isn't out of date.

Blue Z, you'll find the latest & greatest MLB / ORB rules at the MLB Rules site. Each section is a PDF file that you can save as a file or print. I stopped buying "out of date" MLB rule books years ago!

[[/QUOTE]

I have seen Lou go balistic over simpler things.

The call was correct but IMO the main reason the defense or Lou did not object is because they could care less. They had EVERYTHING locked up so perhaps Lou is saving his best antics for the post season.

BTW did you see the look on Lou's face during this Saturday's game bewteen the Cubbies and Brewers when in the 8th ininng a batter was HBP and got upset?

Lou had that calssic laugh on his face.

Pete Booth

Maybe someone could post a link to a video of the play in question. I saw it on the news and it seemed like Church missed home plate by significantly more than 3 feet. If that is the case, it seems to me as though he would have had to go out of the basepath.

Chris Wright
Brooklyn, NY

Always Wright,

You can find a link to a video of the play on this webpage:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index...lb_1&mode=wrap

As you suggest, it seems plainly obvious to me that Church ran well beyond 3' outside of a direct line from where he was to home plate once Hill gained possession of the ball and initiated his ill-fated tag attempt.

Interestingly, he never "changed direction" during Hill's attempt until after he was past the plate. I believe a major league catcher would have tagged him out regardless.

JM

Agreed. I expect Lou didn't pitch a fit because it did not matter to the Cubs.