Home Plate Tag - Safe

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by ukumpire

Play - (all rather easy until...) Runner from 3rd comes into home whilst the catcher is receiving/in position with the ball all under control. Runner makes a perfectly good slide into home plate and gets tagged within an inch or 2 of the hp.
I take my usual second, or 2, before throwing an out, only to see that the slide of the runner into hp has removed the mitt with the ball inside from the catcher's hand.
With the whole movement still ongoing the runner slides across hp.
{when the mitt came off the catcher, she picks up the mitt with the ball still inside the web, which is lying right in front of her, and holds it in the air}

My Call - Safe, based on the 'lost control ruling'
The head coach calls time and discusses the play, insisting that when the tag was made, control was kept (I silently agree!) it was only when the catcher pulled her arm away after making the tag that the mitt came off the hand (I agree)
But then I let him know, that in my judgement and opionion, the movement of pulling the arm away is still part of the tag phrase and by losing the mitt control was not kept for the whole process of the tag!

Speaking ASA.

Spencer, we beat this to death sometime in the past year. Some still disagree, but the basic rule which I believe is supported by ASA's case book, is that if you (umpire) judge that the player controlled the ball at the time of the tag and then lost possession during subsequent play, the player should be ruled out. If during the application of the tag, the player loses control of the ball, then the runner has not been put out.

Many want to argue that it was not a voluntary release, so it cannot be an out. However, a voluntary release is NOT a requirement in establishing a tag.

Granted, this is a judgment call, but the standard you set for a tag is not the same as the ASA rule book. ISF did (and may still) have the wording that the player must maintain control immediately after the tagging action. Now the question is, define immediately. Is it a nanosecond, 2 seconds, 10 seconds, 2 minutes, etc.

If I could tell the catcher did not lose the ball until after establishing a tag, which in ASA only requires the ball to be securely held in the hand or glove while applying the tag, I would have ruled the runner out.