Can forced runner retreat along baseline?

[Frazz]

Hi,

I'm new here, and I'm from Italy. But the italian rulebook is an exact copy of the MLB rulebook... same content, same numbering, same cases... just the page numbers are different.

I have this case I'd like your opinion on:

• 1 out
• runners on 1st and 2nd
• ground ball to 3rd (you call him F5?)

... 5 picks up the ball but is too far from the base to have any hope of playing the forced out on the base and then making a third out in 1st or 2nd. He decides to tag the runner coming over from 2nd. The runner realizes and, to avoid the tag, steps back towards second, awaiting a rundown or a throw to 2nd or 1st... which would let him run to 3rd.

It seems that most italian players and umpires would expect to have the runner called out-by-rule for the sole reason he is stepping back towards 2nd.

What I'd like to know is:

• How would this be ruled in the States?
• If you rule an OBR... on what rule is this based?

The problem is that I read through the rulebook. I played 10 years (many years ago), I now do scoring, I also help out coaching kids... I think I know that rulebook a bit. Chapter 7... paragraph 7.08. There's a lot of cases in there... but nothing that *explicitly* states that a forced runner cannot retreat towards the previous base. There is one statement that, if interpreted in a very peculiar way, could imply this ruling... but none of the players and umpires I asked quoted it (I won't tell you which right now, because I'd like your opinions first ).

Some details I can add:

• the runner is not, in any physical way, interfering with the play... he is just behaving like a trapped (rundowned?) player.
• the runner is not moving away from the baseline, he is just retreating towards the previous base in a straight line
• the runner has not reached the previous base

A last question I'd like to submit... is there any way to contact the MLB Playing Rules Committee to have an official ruling on this or other issues? I ask this because I also dedicate some spare time to the regional FIBS committee (the italian baseball and softball federation) and people there will likely accept only official rulings.

Thanks, and sorry for the long post, and for the terminology I used, which may not be correct,
Marco Rocci