awarding bases

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

You quoted me, but missed the point entirely. No, in the play at hand, we are told where the runner is when the ball is THROWN, but no detail at all regarding where he was when the ball went out of play.

And that part is not always correct.

The correct rules were already stated. I was just clarifying the difference and missing info in the OP as compared with lawump's correct answer.

My answers were correct given the assumption I made.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

My answers were correct given the assumption I made.

Given the assumption you said, it's still not always right.

[lawump]

I admit that when I posted by first two posts in this thread, I had assumed (yes, I know what happens when you assume) that the runner was between 2nd and 3rd when the ball became dead.

I should have read the OP more carefully. But like this post, I made those two posts late at night...not that that should be an excuse.

[greymule]

About ten years ago this play engendered a very long thread on this board. As I remember, the instruction that the umpire change the award to 3B if the runner retouches appeared after that.

Discussion of this play will never die, since OBR and FED handle it differently, and there's always the issue of tipping off the defense. When I was doing ASA softball along with OBR and FED, I had to know yet another ruling: If the runner is between 2B and 3B when the throw is made, he is awarded home in all cases, even if he retouches 1B. He is prevented from retouching 1B only if he advances to the next base after the umpire makes the award (!).

I assumed I'd never see that play, but eventually I did. The runner from 1B was retracing his steps toward 2B when the outfielder threw toward 1B. The bouncing throw to 1B skipped past F3 just as the runner slid into 1B. When the ball went into DBT, the defense argued that the award should be 2B (the old one-plus-one-regardless-of-direction theory); the offense argued for 3B (2 bases from 1B); but the award was in fact home.

[bsaucer]

If the RF erred when throwing the appeal play to first base, does this mean that the defense cannot try the appeal play again?

[Steve Meyer]

Originally Posted by bsaucer

If the RF erred when throwing the appeal play to first base, does this mean that the defense cannot try the appeal play again?

Depends what you mean by erred. Are you asking if the throw goes into dead ball territory?

Try and shed a little more info into your post. Always helps.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by bsaucer

If the RF erred when throwing the appeal play to first base, does this mean that the defense cannot try the appeal play again?

An err for purposes of the appeal rule can only happen after play relaxes. If it happens during continuous action it does NOT kill an appeal opportunity.