Trick Play

[deleted]

Runners on 2b and 3b. No outs. Ball is hit line drive to center field. During the action both runners score. Batter runner then cuts the field off and runs in a directline to 3b from 1st missing 2nd base by 20ft, no appeal is made. Is this an appeal play or should the base umpire who saw it happen call the runner out after play has stopped? This happened on purpose in my opinion.

[Edited by goldcoastump on Mar 6th, 2006 at 08:05 AM]

BigUmp56

What rule would you think a BU could use to call the batter- runner out?

He couldn't call him out for desertion.

He couldn't call him out for abandonment.

He couldn't call him our for running the bases in reverse order.

He couldn't call him out for leaving the baseline to avoid a tag.

I'd say you just had a defense that was sound asleep and blew it big time.

Tim.

mcrowder

I saw a team who would run this occasionally with a very quick kid. Then he's wait until the defense was ready to appeal. As soon as he saw F1 turn to throw to 2nd base, he'd sprint home. Rarely, F1 would stop his throw and go home, trying to stop the score (and nullifying the chance to appeal), and this kid would usually negotiate the rundown and get back to third or score. Most of the time, however, whoever was fielding the throw at 2nd base would see him take off and fire him (nullifying the chance to appeal), and this kid would beat the throw.

After arguments with the coach when they did appeal unsuccessfully after that, this ploy didn't usually work twice on the same team, but I did see the kid pull it off in the playoffs against unfamiliar teams after the season was over.

btdt

In FED doesn't the defense retain the right to appeal if the offense initiates a play?

gobama84

Originally posted by btdt
In FED doesn't the defense retain the right to appeal if the offense initiates a play?

True, Yes, Correct!!

[deleted]

If indeed it is an appeal play, you would call the runner out for missing second base. I said it was an appeal play and the defense did not appeal. A parent came in from the right field bleachers and told the coach what happened but only after a pitch was thrown. I told the coach I would have called the runner out but it was too late.

greymule

Umpiring LL, I blew this call in 1961. Kid got a long hit, ran to 1B and then directly to 3B (out of sheer incompetence, not any kind of nefarious scheme). I knew about appeals but assumed that running directly across the mound to 3B had to be prohibited by some rule.

But I was 12 years old then. Haven't missed one since.