Another ASA quirk

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by greymule
The recent attention paid on this site to runners making an immediate attempt to return to a missed base led me to re-read the ASA case book. Unlike in the various levels of baseball, in ASA such a runner can be put out on appeal immediately after missing a base.

Case book 8.8-13:

R1 on 3B, R2 on 2B, R3 on 1B. F1 fields a ground ball and throws to F2 at the plate after R1 has crossed but missed home plate. F2 appeals to umpire: (a) as R1 is returning, (b) [after] R1 has returned home. Ruling: In (a) R1 is out on appeal, in (b) the appeal is denied.

Of course, (b) is obvious, but notice that in (a) the fielder does not have to tag a runner returning to touch home plate.

Case book 8.8-34:

R1 slides into home plate, but misses it. [How do you slide into home plate and miss it?] F2 misses the tag. Ruling: After a brief hesitation, the umpire should make a "safe" call. If the catcher then tags the runner or the plate appealing that R1 missed home, R1 should be declared out.

Until now, I would have called these plays according to the baseball rule and required a tag by the fielder.

A runner misses the plate when they execute a hook slide in an attempt to use as much of the basepath as allowed and avoid a sweep tag by the catcher.

What you need to remember about ASA is that a runner is assumed to have touched a base once they pass that base. This is what allows the runner to be ruled safe, yet still keeps the possibility for appeal open to the defense.

I've had many a baseball umpire insist that they will not make a call on the play above until the plate is touched by the runner or the runner is tagged out by a defender. They believe the ASA play places an embarrassment upon the umpire as it looks like the umpire is "changing" a call.

No matter how much I have tried to explain that ASA's mechanics literally makes the play two separate calls, some just cannot accept it that way.