Interesting situtation...opinions please.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by gumpire

Don't see where it matters if BR reached 1st in the ruling....he/she passed the preceeding runner and is OUT.

The 4 base award does not exist until the umpire awards it. So normal base running responsibilities apply.

Unless the BR is extremely fast, I have hard time seeing him/her reaching 1st while R3 is still deciding if ball is caught/touched. And IF BR had that much speed, no reason he/she couldn't hold up short of 1B.

Think about it for a minute.

If they are not required to run the bases, how can you have a baserunner?

If the batter stepped over 1B and then the ball was declared a home run or a 4-base award, are you going to allow an appeal for the missed base when the player wasn't required to touch it?

By rule, it is either a HR or a four-base award for any fair batted ball which leaves the field in fair territory that does not touch the ground or front of the fence. It is not like the umpire has a choice. Also, by rule, the batter and each runner will be credited with a run. There are no exceptions noted where that would not occur.