Not Touching Home on Walk Advance
 

Riddle me this.....

Bases loaded. Batter walks. Runner on third advances home but does not touch home plate (it really happened!) Runner then turns and starts for his dugout on the 3rd baseline. Gets 3-4 steps along when everyone starts yelling. Catcher has the ball and tags him while he is returning the 3-4 steps but before he finally touches home plate.

My call - run scores. Blown or good call? I scoured the Rules but did not find an answer.

Run scores. You're not likely to find a rule, as he didn't break one.

What about rule 8-2-5?

On a walk, the batter and any forced runners are awarded one base without the liability of being put out. Unless R3 enters dead ball territory, he can go wherever he likes and take (within reason) as long as he likes to get there. (FED)

Right...I misread the OP thinking he made it to the dugout, duh :o

How would that rule apply in this situation at all?

If he never got to the plate he's safe - just took a circuitous route..

If he stepped over or went past the plate then he's out on the appeal.

+1

I'm confused by the responses here. Some make it sound like the runner can miss home plate and still be allowed to go back and touch it without liability, until he walks into the dugout. Is that true if he passes home plate, or only if he comes up short? The OP wasn't clear what exactly the runner did to miss home.

I had to re-read the original post to understand it. I believe the runner from third just didn't run all the way to the plate, veered toward his bench area, but hadn't reached it yet.

A missed base is subject to appeal.....plain and simple.

And the question remains -- is home "missed" when the runner stops short and then turns to (and proceeds toward) the third base dugout.

Some will say "yes", some will say "no" and since there's no "official" answer (that I'm aware of) past threads on this topic have continued ad infinitum.

IMO, you cannot miss a base until you pass it. However you shouldn't count the run until he reaches it. So, If he walks toward the dugout before reaching home, then sees the error of his way (as long as he wasn't physically assisted) and proceeds to touch home, count the run, If he makes it all the way into the dugout, call him out..But never count the run until he touches or passes the plate. That's how I would handle this.

I don't know about FED because I don't work it, but in NCAA and OBR, if a runner misses home and goes past it, he can be put out if tagged or if the plate is tagged on appeal, but in the latter case, only if the runner makes no attempt to return to touch it. If he's walking toward his dugout when a teammate yells to him to go and touch the plate, and the runner then turns and goes toward the plate to touch it, the catcher must tag him to get the out; an appeal touch of home is not good enough. However, a "wild goose chase" isn't permitted. In other words, if the runner attempt to return and touch the plate, he can't start running all over the place to avoid the catcher trying to tag him for the out.

That part is also true in FED, unless he was forced home in which case you can get the out by (intentionally) touching the base.