Leaving the Base path

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by charliej47

I don't remember which clinic I went to that described how to judge this.

The normal adult male is about 6 feet tall. He takes a 24 to 30 inch step when walking. When running, he will take a 3 to 4 ft step.

You do the math.

The math is a little off. The average male in this country is actually less than 6 feet tall. The stride length while walking is about right, and the running stride is actually more than 3-4 feet (close to 5-6 depending on speed and runner height).

The key in judging this is how was the step made. If she stops running and then takes 1 step to the left or right, you most likely don't have a violation. If he takes 2 steps, then it is likely a violation.

While running it is tougher to call because you don't have a good look at the angle the runner turns.

As others have said, you could have an out of the base path call with 1 running step, or it could take 2 or 3 before the violation occurs.

The easiest way to judge this is not by the number or length of steps, but the reach of the fielder. If you know the fielder is in the line between the runner and the base when he has the ball, the base path becomes a direct line between the base and the runner. If the runner deviates so far that the fielder while reaching can't touch the runner, you may have a violation. If he can't touch the runner after a step and a reach, you have a violation because the average step is 2-3 feet and the average arm length is 2-3 feet from the shoulder. At a minimum that would be a foot over the 3 foot allowed.