Establishing the Baseline

[Fritz]

Originally Posted by njdevs00cup

I had an interesting play yesterday. I wanted to get any feedback on the call I made (that's never a problem)!

R2 running on the pitch does not break stride and takes an extremely wide arcing path after touching 3B. The throw comes in from F7. F2 catches the ball on the baseline, up the line about three feet. R2 is clearly more than three feet off the baseline because of the arcing turn he made. He does not make any movement to deviate from the baseline he established. F2 swipes at R2 and misses him. R2 completes his arcing path by diving and touching homeplate.

I had nothing since R2 already established his baseline and did not deviate from it.

Had a similar sitch in a tournament this past weekend but different result. Runner took a wide turn, throw from center is in advance of the runnter but takes catcher well into foul territory on 3B side of Home, about 6 feet up the line. As catcher is fielding the ball, runner sees he will be tagged out easily and swerves back into fair territory, around the lunging catcher and touches the back side of home plate, barely, with his outstretched hand. I banged him out for being out of his baseline to avoid the tag. OC argued briefly because the runner was in the dirt part of the lane (grass infield) but nodded when I pointed out that he has been running well into the grass/foul part of the field until he saw he was going to be tagged out.