Ball out of play
 

With Arencibia catching that foul ball then falling into the dugout why is this rule never enforced?

Rule 7.04(c) Comment: If a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should fall into a stand or among spectators or into the dugout or any other out-of-play area while in possession of the ball after making a legal catch, or fall while in the dugout after making a legal catch, the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out, from his last legally touched base at the time the fielder fell into, or in, such out-of-play area.

Two things:

1.) It's more convenient for most if you embed YouTube and other clips when possible.

2.) I don't believe your clip is available in the United States. This message pops up whenever you click on the link: "The uploader has not made this video available in your country."

Since your video doesn't work here, can you describe the play? We see the rule you refer to enforced all the time.

Sorry posting from Japan. YouTube Arencibia great catch. If not... with 1 out and s runner on 2nd Heyward fouled off a ball towards the jays bench, Arencibia makes the catch by the railing of the dugout and falls in. Clearly dead ball territory. Yet the base runner is not awarded third. The jays announcers even mention him coming back out of the dugout so the runner doesn't advance.

I know the call is made at the high school level, not sure how its enforced at ncaa, But I can't ever recall that rule enforced during a MLB game.

Great Play by Arencibia and legal
 

Arencibia great catch. He did not fall into the dugout. He stayed on his feet the entire catch. He caught the ball and negotiated the railing without falling. Catch and carry. He is allowed to come out throwing.
I found the clip on MLB at ATL@TOR

Describe "falls in"... the MLB catch and carry rule you quote only applies in the dugout when they actually FALL... as in, do not remain on their feet. Obviously it also applies when they land in the stands over a railing, etc. It is the latter that we see called quite regularly.

Except for "catch and carry", this is all correct.

Catch and carry
 

I have always thought of the catch and carry rule as: If the field catches the ball with at least one foot in LBT or jumped from LBT and maintains his footing in DBT he can come out throwing. If he falls, then the ball is dead and runners advance. He did enter the dugout after making the catch and came out with the ball.

Just as an aside: FED rules do not allow catch and carry. The ball is dead immediately and one base award if unintentional and 2 base award if intentional.

Here's the link. Sorry, but I don't know how to embed videos.

Video | MLB.com Multimedia

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The appropriate OBR rule is 5.10(f):

[It's a dead ball] "When a fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand, or falls across ropes into a crowd when spectators are on the field. As pertains to runners, the provisions of 7.04(c) shall prevail.

"If a fielder after making a catch steps into a bench, but does not fall, the ball is in play and runners may advance at their own peril."

There is no such thing as "catch and carry" under OBR. I believe this only exists in FED ball (not sure about NCAA).

You've got the rule right, but the terminology backward.

"Catch and carry" is when you catch it in LBT, securing the out, but then carry it into DBT, giving any runners a base.

Arencibia caught it, but did not fall, and can throw it out, as you stated --- because he did NOT "catch and carry".

NCAA is similar to OBR, only difference is that if the player slides purposefully into DBT and stands up while in DBT, he is not considered to have fallen.

Since we're on the subject, and because I don't have my references handy, is there a requirement to properly tag up on the 7.04 situation?

For example, suppose Arencibia did fall into the dugout after making the catch. R1 and R2 would have been awarded one base. But once the award is made, do they need to go back and tag up if they were off the base during the catch?

My gut tells me they do. After all, the ball was legally caught.

Absolutely.

Coach not an umpire so I don't pretend to know rules as well as you guys. But why would they have to tag up if its an automatic award for a rule violation? Wouldn't it be similar to throwing a ball into stands or dugout? I know it was caught in air but if they can advance without liability to be out out why the need to tag. Thanks in advance for your answers. Always trying to learn more.

Because even though you are awarded a base (whether through a situation like this one, or obstruction, or a ground rule double, etc), you are still required to run the bases properly. In this situation, if the runner was awarded home, and failed to retouch third, then when they are ready to begin play again the defense would still be allowed to appeal the runner having left the base early (before the catch), and the runner would be out. It would be the same as if on a ground rule double the batter-runner simply skipped first base and ran straight to 2nd - the defense could appeal the miss of first base.

An "award" is really "the right to run the bases without the defense making a play." You still need to comply with the base running rules.

For example, on a home run, you need to touch all the bases, and you can't pass another runner (and in FED you can't commit MC).

I agree that the rules *could* be written differently (it's an award -- just go there; if the award is home just go to the dugout), but they aren't.

Because of OBR 7.08d "Any runner is out when; He fails to retouch his base after a fair or foul ball is legally caught before he, or his base, is tagged by a fielder. He shall not be called out for failure to retouch his base after the first following pitch, or any play or attempted play. This is an appeal play."

and

Rule 7.05(i) Comment: "The fact a runner is awarded a base or bases without liability to be put out does not relieve him of the responsibility to touch the base he is awarded and all intervening bases. For example: batter hits a ground ball which an infielder throws into the stands but the batterrunner
missed first base. He may be called out on appeal for missing first base after the ball is put in play even though he was “awarded” second base.

If a runner is forced to return to a base after a catch, he must retouch his original base even though, because of some ground rule or other rule, he is awarded additional bases. He may retouch while the ball is dead and the award is then made from his original base."


Bottom line here is because the rules say so..

How about FED rules?
 

Is it a dead ball once the catcher steps into the dugout, with a one-base award? Haven't umpired baseball in a long time and just curious.

Fed rules
 

Fed rules the ball dead as soon as the fielder enters DBT. The award is one base if unintentional and 2 bases if intentional.

Also, If you have a situation where obstruction occurs and the runner fails to touch the base and a following runner touches that base before the obstructed runner gets his opportunity to touch it, then the umpire awards the touch due to the obstruction.

2 runners headed toward home and the catcher obstructs the first and the second slides in safely. Call the obstruction and award the touch to the first runner.

You have to run the bases properly no matter what. That's why HR hitters have to circle the bases rather than just going to the dugout.

I appreciate the answers but I do know you can't skip first on a ground rule double and must run bases on home runs. LOL.

Yes, if he enters DBT the ball is dead and the base is awarded. If he reaches into DBT and catches the ball the ball is still in play.

Tim.

Not sure why the LOL... the situation that is so obvious to you that you laugh about is exactly the same as the situation you asked a question about. If a player is awarded a base, for whatever reason, they must still run the bases properly - this applies to the GRD that you laugh at, and to the question you asked.