NCAA assisting batter-runner after missing home plate.
 

Am I correct that there is no penalty for team mates or coaches assiting a batter runner after she missed home plate on an out if the park home run?
I'm looking at 12-9.5 & 9-5.3

It isn't possible to assist a BR after touching the plate.

However, you are correct, the assist rule seems to only apply while the ball is in play and prior to scoring.

Have a coach lose a playoff game because of someone assisting a runner in this manner and you may see a change :)

Players cannot touch the Batter or anyone else until they score. Warning then an out.

Thank you anyway, but I was looking to confirm that there is no penalty AFTER she scores
(unlike ASA for instance).

So, what happens when the ball is Live?

For example, R1 scores from third on a Sac Fly, but she misses home. The on-deck batter grabs her as she heads for the dugout and sends her back to home plate to touch it.

Is that a violation of 12.9.5? Or after having passed home, is she no longer considered as "actively running the bases"?

I remember it as physical assistance (pushing, holding, etc.) as an illegal assist; but anything verbal or signals is ok. Similar to base coaches.

While not the exact same sitch (no out of the park HR involved), I think Dee Abrahamson's interpretation of the following question (Ask Dee 4/27/12-Pg.55) addresses the question asked in the OP:

12.9.5
BASE RUNNER IS OUT

Question as posed to Dee-
This true-false question was presented at our meeting:
The base runner from third base scores (lead runner) and the base runner from second base (trailing runner) follows her but misses home plate on her slide. The umpire calls "No Tag" and gives the safe sign. The lead runner helps the trailing runner get to her feet. She touches the plate before the tag and is ruled safe. The answer was False. I contend that the trailing runner is not a runner anymore because she is considered safe until the appeal.

Dee's Interpretation-
She is out under 12.9.5
The trailing runner knows she missed home plate so she is headed back to tag it. The catcher has heard the umpire declare "no tag" and is attempting to tag the trailing runner before she can score. But before the play finishes, the trailing runner is illegally contacted by a teammate. When the defense appeals that the base runner missed the base and then was assisted by a base runner who had already scored, she will be declared out under 12.9.5.

Why is the umpire declaring "no tag"? There is no indication there was a play at any time prior to a possible appeal.

Guessing NCAA wants umpires to announce that an appeal is possible. :rolleyes:

See for example 7.1.1.2.5(a).


This is the same organization that wants their plate umpires to signal safe on a dropped third strike and announce "no catch".

Though it didn't explicitly say so, the implication was that there was an actual play at the plate, the tag was missed and the runner missed the base.

9.5.3 really has nothing to do with physically assisting a runner. It is intended to prevent a gathering around home plate whereby the defense and the umpires can't even see the runner cross the plate. That's why it is under rule 9 - Defense. Note: This rule doesn't even apply to base coaches or base runners.

And your point is...?

Good catch.
There is no mention of a tag by F2 in the question the umpire submitted.
In her answer, Dee makes the assumption that there was a tag.

I know a D1 umpire who called the BR out for this very reason (teammates high fiving at home plate prior to touching home) without any prior warning issued on an over the fence HR. That was in a HS playoff game. It was a game tying run turned into an out that cost the team the game. That umpire is still calling D1 ball.

Still calling D1??? :eek:
I'm surprised that umpire is still calling JV games. LOL

FWIW, I'm aware that 9.5.3 was not applicable (for the reason you mentioned). I just mentioned it to make sure no one mistakenly tried to apply it.
:D

Then maybe I am not correct. :confused:
As mentioned earlier, true 9.5.3 has nothing to do with the play.
I was looking at the part of 12.9.5 that refers to "actively running the bases and the ball is in play"
I guess, because she missed home, Dee is saying that she is still "actively running the bases" I was thinking that since she "passed" home and is assumed to have touched it unless appealed, she might no longer be considered actively running the bases.... Is she saying that since the offense recognized that she missed the base and acted on it, she is "reactivated"......
I guess I could buy that, but then what do you do if she actually DID touch home, but someone thought she didn't and pushed her and she went back to touch the plate? :eek:

And the other part (that wasn't answered in Dee's answer) was the fact that the ball wasn't in play....
In fact a similar question might come up if she missed any base on a home rune and was physically assisted back (by a non-active runner).

Is the Fed rule on this the same as NCAA 9.5.3?

No, for a change this happened to someone else....
My participation was merely after the fact conversation.
My first instinct would have been an out....
Then I made the mistake of reading the book and got hung up on "actively running" and a dead ball situation.

:D

The fact that there was a slide is a big clue to me that there was a play... and the fact that the umpire said no tag is a bigger clue.

I believe the "no contact" rule is absolutely ridiculous.

It is applying a game-effect ruling on an action that has no affect on the game.

I agree 1000%. At most, this is a sportsmanship issue. It's COMPLETELY not a game-play issue. It's absurd to call a player out merely because non-runners happen to be blocking the sightlines of the umpire.

The FED rule simply says a runner may not be assisted.

Fed does not have a similar rule regarding "touching" a runner before she touches home plate in a home run situation.