Missed call that got me thinking . . .

[greymule]

Happened by an ASA SP game Saturday and saw the following play:

Abel on 1B, Baker gets an extra-base hit. Abel tries to score but gets caught in a rundown between 3B and home. Baker runs all the way to 3B and stands on the bag and watches. Abel is obstructed going back to 3B. PU signals OBS.

However, the defense flubs the play and Abel makes it safely back to 3B anyway, so now both Abel and Baker are standing on 3B. The ball is lying in the 3B coach's box, and F5 retrieves it.

PU immediately calls time and declares Baker out on the basis of "when two runners are on a base, the following runner is out."

Now obviously that's the wrong call. But let's assume the umpire did what he should have and allowed the play to continue. If, with both runners on 3B, the defense had then tagged Baker, he would properly have been called out (assuming the OBS on Abel does not afford Baker some kind of protection I don't know about).

Then it struck me that Abel, knowing OBS had been called and seeing Baker on 3B, should have made sure he was put out before he got back to 3B. For example, he could have turned and run toward home even though he had little chance of making it safely. Were he put out at the plate, he would be sent back to 3B (and Baker to 2B). Or he could simply have stopped in the baseline and let the defense tag him.

Even after having made it back to 3B safely, when Abel realized the situation, he could have taken his foot off 3B to give Baker sole possession (and remove Baker's liability to be put out). But by going back to 3B, he put Baker in jeopardy.