Running to 1st base aftre a dropped 3rd strike

[clevbrown]

ASA Fast Pitch. No one on base, the batter swings at the 3rd strike and the cacther drops the ball. The batter starts walking toward her 3rd base dug out. Half way to the dug out she realizes it is a dropped 3rd strike, so she takes off running through the pitcher mound to 1st base and reaches it prior to getting tagged or the ball arriving at 1st base.

The question, is the batter/runner required to run back to home plate and then on to 1st, or can she run directly from wherever she is at to 1st base?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by clevbrown

ASA Fast Pitch. No one on base, the batter swings at the 3rd strike and the cacther drops the ball. The batter starts walking toward her 3rd base dug out. Half way to the dug out she realizes it is a dropped 3rd strike, so she takes off running through the pitcher mound to 1st base and reaches it prior to getting tagged or the ball arriving at 1st base.

The question, is the batter/runner required to run back to home plate and then on to 1st, or can she run directly from wherever she is at to 1st base?

She can run to the outfield fence in left field, follow it to right field and down the line to 1B.

[clevbrown]

Interesting. I cannot find anything in the rule book on that. I see in the ASA rule book she is not considered "abandoning the base" until she enters "the team area" which I would assume is the dug out in most cases. I just thought it would seem weird to have the runner cutting through the middle of the field to run the 1st base, but it appears there are no rules against it, or at least I could not find any.

Thanks

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by clevbrown

Interesting. I cannot find anything in the rule book on that. I see in the ASA rule book she is not considered "abandoning the base" until she enters "the team area" which I would assume is the dug out in most cases. I just thought it would seem weird to have the runner cutting through the middle of the field to run the 1st base, but it appears there are no rules against it, or at least I could not find any.

Thanks

There is nothing new here.

You are looking for something that does not exist and to the best of my knowledge, never has.

Check for the definition of basepath, then the rule concerning being out of the basepath and the conditions when that rule is in effect. Even then, the rules still do not dictate where a runner may go, just what cannot be done to avoid a tag.

[clevbrown]

Yes I did indeed go down the out of base path rout and it does not appear to apply to this situation unless the umpire decides the runner is taking that path to avoid the tag. I think I would only call this in this situation if the pitcher had the ball and the runner ran around her to avoid getting tagged.
So, it looks like the batter/runner can take a patch anwhere between where they realize the dropped 3rd strike to 1st bae, as long as the umpire does not judge they are avoiding a tag.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by clevbrown

Interesting. I cannot find anything in the rule book on that. I see in the ASA rule book she is not considered "abandoning the base" until she enters "the team area" which I would assume is the dug out in most cases. I just thought it would seem weird to have the runner cutting through the middle of the field to run the 1st base, but it appears there are no rules against it, or at least I could not find any.

Thanks

"weird" is not "illegal" ALL baserunners can use whatever basepath they like, with the exception of the running lane (when appropriate) and attempting to avoid a tag.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

"weird" is not "illegal" ALL baserunners can use whatever basepath they like, with the exception of the running lane (when appropriate) and attempting to avoid a tag.

Even then, they CAN use whatever basepath they choose, there will just be a penalty assessed if they choose the wrong one!

[bniu]

the only exception would be after a third out strikeout where the player heads to her position directly, my supervisor told me in that case, as soon as someone hands her her glove, she's out.

there was a recent change in MLB to the batter is out on a potential third out D3K if he leaves the home plate circle without heading to first since most baseball players just head straight to their position...i've seen softball players do it too...

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by bniu

the only exception would be after a third out strikeout where the player heads to her position directly, my supervisor told me in that case, as soon as someone hands her her glove, she's out.

there was a recent change in MLB to the batter is out on a potential third out D3K if he leaves the home plate circle without heading to first since most baseball players just head straight to their position...i've seen softball players do it too...

That's not recent at all. OBR has had the dirt circle as their rule for a long time.

[BretMan]

OBR changed that rule about three years ago- if you consider that as "recent". It was a year or two after the infamous uncaught third strike play in the Angels/White Sox ALCS game.

[UmpireErnie]

Originally Posted by bniu

the only exception would be after a third out strikeout where the player heads to her position directly, my supervisor told me in that case, as soon as someone hands her her glove, she's out.

there was a recent change in MLB to the batter is out on a potential third out D3K if he leaves the home plate circle without heading to first since most baseball players just head straight to their position...i've seen softball players do it too...

This may be true in baseball, but as long as the BR did not leave the field of play she could recieve her glove, run to her position, then realize she is not yet out and run to 1B.