New rule myth needed?

[David B]

HS summer league but it is a state tourney and local team has a play with two runners ending up on third base. F3 finally gets in a rundown and is actually safe at home, but team from FL questions the umpires.

PU gets with his two partners and then calls R3 out. Our local coach "who doesn't know the rules" questions PU and returns to dugout etc., He asked me about it at church Sunday.

The call on the field was ___ "two runners were on base so one of them is out."

I could not believe that umpires "qualified" to do a HS state tourney and three of them would not know this simple rule.

I copied him the OBR and FED rulings to keep for the next time and just laughed.

But, I wonder if this might be a rule myth to add because I heard the exact same thing from another HS coach a week ago in a regular game. Coach's comment, "I didn't know that" after I explained him the ruling.

Just never cease to be amazed...

Thansk
David

[Ump29]

If I read the OP correctly, the umpires blew this one. First if there were 2 runners on third, the defense would have to tag the following runner for an out. The call on runner who went home ? I do not know what the ruling they were thinking on that !!

[Robert E. Harrison]

If a force play is in order the leading runner on third would be out. Assuming they tagged him;

[David B]

Originally Posted by Robert E. Harrison

If a force play is in order the leading runner on third would be out. Assuming they tagged him;

Exactly, but in this play, no runners were tagged, or even attempted to be tagged.

The umpires simply called the runner out because there were two men on base.

Thanks
David

[TxUmp]

The OP could not possibly have been a force play. A prededing runner was safe at home and the nest runner was standing on 3rd. The following runner standing on 3rd HAD to be either R1 or BR. No force - the following runner is out when (and if) tagged. If no tag, he is free to attempt to return to 2nd.
There is no out until the proper runner is tagged.

[DG]

I am not sure anyone, other than these umpires, believe two runners on a base is an automatic out without any tags, so don't think this qualifies as a rule myth.

[greymule]

I once saw a runner called out at home on a "force" play because the following runner (the BR) had reached 3B by the time the ball got to F2 standing on the plate.

[zm1283]

Are OBR and FED any different with this ruling?

[David B]

Originally Posted by DG

I am not sure anyone, other than these umpires, believe two runners on a base is an automatic out without any tags, so don't think this qualifies as a rule myth.

That's what i thought. But this was the state tournament so doesn't speak very well of our officiating here in MS.

Not just two umpires though, but three didn't know the rule.

And of course we know coaches don't know the rule ...

thanks
David

[David B]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Are OBR and FED any different with this ruling?

they are the same, just hard to find in the books.

Thanks
David

[jkumpire]

Are you serious?