Timed Plays and Appeals

[greymule]

mbcrowder: In the situation you describe, the force is off Baker as soon as Charlie is tagged out. That would apply in all codes, baseball or softball. It is plays involving missed bases where the technicalities get a bit hairy.

What would be different is if Baker runs hard on the popup, misses 2B before Charlie is put out, and then runs to 3B. Charlie would naturally be out when he is tagged. If Baker is called out on appeal at 2B, his out would be considered:

(1) A force out in OBR, Fed BB, and NCAA BB; in fact, in NCAA, the out would be considered a force regardless of whether Baker missed 2B before or after the out on Charlie, because Baker was forced when the play began.

(2) Not a force out in ASA (and probably Fed SB); in ASA, whenever a following runner is put out, all forces are off all preceding runners no matter what.

Of course, in the situation you describe, with no issue of whether a run scores or doesn't score, whether the appeal out at 2B is a force or not doesn't really matter. Both Baker and Charlie are out. But add a runner on 3B and assume one out, and whether the out is a force or not obviously does matter.