Appeals - Missed Base vs Home

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by UmpTTS43

Sitch A: R1, 2 outs. Ball is hit down right field line. As R1 advances around third base, he misses and falls down. F7 throws ball to F5. As R1 scrambles back to third base, F5 tags third base and appeals to the umpire that R1 missed it.
Approved ruling: R1 is out. The defense may appeal that a runner missed a base any time that the ball is live. It does not matter that the runner is in the vicinity of, and immediately returning to the base missed. A tag of the runner is not required.

This sitch can be applied to all bases, except home.

This ruling comes from The Wendelstedt Umpire School Manual. After reviewing my JEA (unknown date) and the 2008 MLBUM, they do not address this. Relaxed and unrelaxed actions have been used by J/R (don't own) and do not seem to apply here.

On the contrary, this is exactly where the relaxed/unrelaxed distinction appears in J/R. If R1 is scrambling back to 3B, then the action is unrelaxed, and the runner must be tagged.

I surprised to hear that Wendelstedt has come out with a contrary ruling.

Originally Posted by UmpTTS43

I tend to give more credence to JEA and Wendelstedt in these situations rather than J/R.

You say that you don't have J/R, and that you don't think it applies to these cases, so why is "credence" an issue?

Wendelstedt is the most recent source of "authoritative" opinion, and therefore the least credible. My own personal approach:

1. If Evans has published or stated a ruling, that governs. Jim is the most historically informed and comprehensive rules interpreter in the history of baseball.
2. J/R works very hard to keep their rulings up to date, and has developed a coherent framework around the rules (e.g. relaxed vs. unrelaxed action). If Evans has missed a point, I'll look at J/R.
3. Other knowledgeable sources.