B/R Retreats Towards Home Playe

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Which is how it should be, and the other sanctioning bodies should follow suit. After all, the reason a BR would do this is to delay a play on her to let other runners advance. If one or more of those runners do make it to their next base(s) before the BR takes that step back, then the penalty doesn't really have the right effect.

I never really understood why this action is illegal in the first place. In every other place on the field, the runner can choose whatever base path she wants... forward, backward, wide arcs, whatever.

I do understand that she cannot retreat to home as a "base", but why is it illegal to retreat as part of any other base-running strategy or purpose?