stolen bases?? VFW ball/major league rules
 

Runners on 1st and @nd, count is 3-2 and batter goes down to firstbase inadvertantly. As he nears runners start advancing and take 2nd and 3rd as batter gets to first. Defense just watches confused as umpire calls batter back to plate. Ump then returned runners to original bases at time of pitch. Should not the runners have stayed where they advanced to?

Generally, yes, unless this was a FED game and the umpire reversed some decision.

Sometimes, if "everyone" is confused, then just resetting is the right thing to do.

Mets at Rangers today, Cruz strikes out on a 2-4 count. The heat must have made everyone nearly delirious. The last strike even came after a pick-off attempt at first.

He struck out on a 4-2 count. Click on "video":

MLB.com Gameday | MLB.com: Gameday

Exactly, I mistakenly wrote the count backwards - just watching it in the heat confused me :-).

BTW, at what point is it a correctable error? There was a pick-off attempt and a foul ball after ball four. Did either of those intervening "plays" negate the possibility of an appeal on the count? After Nelson Cruz struck out, could the Rangers have appealed for the walk, say, up until the time he reached the bench? I have seen weird situations where a run has been tacked on several innings later in the game. Obviously a different scenario but it seems to show there is some latitude in correcting this error. Thanks!

Try this: Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | NYM@TEX: Nelson Cruz strikes out in a bizarre manner - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia