Unrep Sub: Say Something or Stay Mum?

[rwest]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

I hear where you're coming from ... but I'd be careful with this logic. It is not "illegal" to leave a base too soon any more than it's illegal to put the ball in play and not make it to first before they throw you out. It's not illegal --- it's just that you're liable to be put out. Lumping acts performed on the bases for which you might end up being put out together with acts specifically listed as "illegal" in the book is inappropriate, imho.

That's not what I am talking about. You can not return to a base left too soon under certain circumstances. This by rule is illegal.

For example.

R1 on 1B leaves with the pitch. Fly ball to center filed caught for an out. Prior to reaching 2nd R1 stops, turns around and is on her way back to 1B when the throw goes over the 1B fence. The umpire waits to give the runner time to complete her base running responsibilities. R1 does not continue to first but instead turns and heads for 2nd. The umpire calls dead ball and awards her two bases. She touches 2nd and proceeds to 3rd, when the 3rd base coach says go back and touch 2nd and then 1B before coming back to 3rd. By rule once you have reached one base beyond the base left too soon and the ball has become dead, it is illegal by rule to return to the base left too soon. Are you as an umpire going to physically prevent this from happening even though by rule it is illegal? No different in my mind than preventing a coach from making an illegal substitution. We prevent them all or none and just rule on them when required to by rule.