Baseball's version of a BLARGE

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by mick

The implications are there, but there still ain't no tie in baseball, and thus, the runner (or batter/runner) never wins one.

mick: Thanks for your reply. I found this on the Major League Baseball website:

"Rule 6.05 The batter is out (j) after he hits a fair ball, he or first base is tagged before he touches first base."

As a non umpire, I can read the rule, but I cannot interpret the rule. Please explain to me how a batter can be called out when he, the gender specific wording surprised me at first, reaches first base at the same time that first base is tagged? First base, in this case, is not tagged before he touches the base, as the rule stipulates?

As a veteran basketball official, I realize that interpretations don't always completely match, word for word, with a specific rule. Can you cite an "official" interpretation of this rule to help me understand why a baseball umpire would call this batter out?