R1 passes R2

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Is there a clear cut definition of a pass?

Yeah, R2 maybe closer to second than R3, but he's also a lot closer to third (hell, he's standin' on it). So if he's closer to the nearest base, what say you now?

I'm just sayin', what's the point of reference for a pass? Is it a straight line from the point of the plate, though the front edge of the leading runner? Or something different.

Best definition I've ever heard was to not treat the path from batters box to plate as a circle, but a square (which is what it is!) When travelling from 1st base to 2nd base, for example, a player has not passed another unless you can draw a perpendicular line through the basepath that touches neither player, and the wrong runner is in front. Ditto between the other bases. This leaves you a 45 degree angle of no-man's land at each base - which almost NEVER comes into play, but would come into play in the OP. A player in this area is best treated as on the base - and is not passed unless the next runner passes that base. IOW, in the posted sitch, R2, being ON third base, has not passed R3 (or R3 has not passed R2 in reverse if it makes more sense to you), because R2 is running from 2nd to 3rd - the line mentioned earlier must be perpendicular to the 2B-3B baseline, and you must be able to draw it with R3 ENTIRELY behind R2 for there to be a passed runner.