Is this an out?

richray · #1 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 11:35am

Was watching a fastpitch game recently and the following happened:

Ground ball hit to F5 who fields the ball and throws to F3. The throw was way off the bag but F3 manages to knock it down. In the process she falls flat on her stomach and grabs the ball with her bare hand, then stretches to touch the base with her empty glove and beats the B-R. BU calls the B-R safe saying that because the ball was not in the glove the runner was not put out. The PU backed him up on the call. I say the BR is out since touching the base is not the same as tagging the runner. BU said that the glove was detachable equipment and therefore the tag of the base was not legal. If that is the case, the F3 should remove her socks and shoes to make a put out at 1st since those are detachable as well. What do you think?

wadeintothem · #2 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 12:28pm

I think this is a bad call. I was hoping someone else would respond since I couldnt find it specifically mentioned in the rules - but maybe someone with a case book or something knew. Since it was a force, I would have called the out. "hands are part of the gloves" and all.

chuck chopper · #3 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 12:40pm

If the fielder has control of the ball say in the bare hand, she can touch the bag with the glove, foot, chin, leg, head..anything that is part of her. Crazy as this is if her hat was in her hand, and she touched the bag with her HAT..then I can see detached equipment.

Robmoz · #4 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 12:49pm

You should have asked the umps if the heel of the shoe is too far removed from the ball in hand to be considered an out as would happen in a standard play, perhaps that might have sparked a light bulb to go on. The BR is out in the situation you described and the call was incorrect.

kellerumps · #5 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 12:51pm

I've got an out.

Dakota · #6 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 01:21pm

If she had touched the bag with her ponytail, it would have been an out. The BR was out. The umpire has been listening to too many TV commentators.

The rule you want is 8-7C.

mcrowder · #7 (**permalink**) Tue May 25, 2004, 02:41pm

There's a difference between detachABLE, and detachED equipment. It's ALL detachABLE. What matters is detachED. If she's wearing the equipment properly, it's not detached. If she was wearing her hat properly, landed on the ground with only the bill of her hat touching the base - it's an out. Ball in hand, glove on base - it's an out.

Now, if the glove had come off, for example, and she was merely carrying her glove, and touched the base with the glove (hand not in it), I can see the case for detached equipment (same as the removed hat above).