Force runner question - ASA

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by wolraht

There was a second umpire waiting for another game to start witting right behind home plate in the stands watching when it happened. I walked over and asked him about it.

Little bit more detail. When the 3B player applied the tag, he had the ball in his throwing hand and tagged the runner with an empty glove. The runner was called out.

I wanted to ask the ump about that because a few weeks ago I applied a tag on a runner with an empty glove and was told I had to have the ball in glove to get the out.

Tagging a runner with an empty hand or an empty glove does not get an out. That's correct.

What I'm about to say is a REAL stretch, so don't flame me for going this route. It is REMOTELY possible that the umpire felt that the runner had interfered with the defense's ability to make a play on him or on another runner. That's not the call that I would make, but it's a remote shot. Did the umpire call "TIME!" or "Dead ball!" when the tag with the empty glove was made? Did the runner reach for the glove or hand at all?

Originally Posted by wolraht

I asked the ump why the runner in this situation was called out. He said the runner stepped back toward 2B when he was forced to go to 3B and that was why the out was called. The ump that made the call was between batters standing at the fence listening to this explanation and seemed to agree. He certainly didn't dispute the explanation if it was not the reason he made the call.

Of course he wouldn't dispute it. For starters, he doesn't want to get dragged into it, nor does he want to throw his fellow umpire under the bus. It's the same reason I have for not really wanting to go down this road.

Originally Posted by wolraht

The runner did not move outside the basepath. just back toward second. He was really trying to get the third baseman holding the ball long enough to not turn the double play, knowing there was no way he was making it to 3B safely.

Provided that is everything that happened, there is nothing wrong with that.

Bear in mind that I am not taking issue with you, or accusing you of lying or even misleading us (despite the fact that many other coaches and players have done that on this board in the past). It's a simple matter of the umpire involved not being present on this board to explain exactly what happened, coupled with the fact that what an umpire looks for on a play is completely and 110% different from what a player, fan or coach looks for. Players watch "bodies" on a play. They see that the throw beat the runner, or that the runner was closer to the base than the fielder. Umpires are looking at things that are much more subtle: positioning of the feet, how securely a ball is held in a glove or hand, where the hands are, the sound of the ball hitting the glove, or the glove swiping someone's uniform.

It's two totally different worlds, coexisting on the same field. Usually, that coexistence is peaceful, even though it's a tense peace.