cpf@lasspvax.UUCP (Courtenay Footman) (08/28/85)
Sorry this is late; I caught a cold.
Here are the answers to my rule quiz --
(All quotes are from "Official Baseball Rules", 1982 ed., Copyright 1982
The Commissioner of Baseball.)
1) Man on first base, no outs. Batter hits a line drive to the second
baseman, who tries to double the runner off first base. However, the
throw is wild and goes into the dugout. Where does the runner end up?
Third.
Rule 7.05: "Each runner including the batter runner may, without liability
to be put out, advance --" ...
(g) "Two bases when, with no spectators on the playing field, a thrown ball
goes into the stands, or into a bench (whether or not the ball rebounds
into the field), or over or under or through a field fence, or on a slanting
part of the screen above the backstop, or remains in the wire meshes of
a screen protecting spectators. The ball is dead. When such wild throw
is the first play by an infielder, the umpire, in awarding such bases,
shall be governed by the position of the runners at the time the ball was
pitched; in all other cases the umpire shall be governed by the position of
the runner at the time the wild throw was made."
Thus the runner gets two bases from where he was at the time the ball
was pitched, i.e. third.
Note that the rule is the same in softball (Rule 8.5g, Official Softball
Rules). I have *never* played a game of baseball or softball where this
rule has been properly followed-- everyone always says `one base on an
overthrow'. Grrrr.
2) Men on second and third, one out. Batter hits fly ball to the outfield,
with both runners leaving the base early. Ball is caught by right fielder,
who doubles off the man on second after the man on third has crossed the
plate. The defensive team then leaves the field. Does the run count?
Yes.
7.10, "...
"Any appeal under this rule must be made before the next pitch, or any
play or attempted play. If the violation occurs during a play which ends
a half-inning, the appeal must be made before the defensive team leaves
the field.
....
"Appeal plays may require an umpire to recognize an apparent `forth
out.' If the third out is made during a play in which an appeal play
is sustained on another runner, the appeal play decision takes precedence
in determining the out. ..."
The defense should, after recording the third out, throw the ball to third.
At least one major league run has been scored this way.
3) Men on second and third, one out, the batter hits a ground ball to
third. The third baseman throws home, where the catcher was waiting
for the ball holding his mask in his right hand. The throw was off
line to the right, and the catcher reachs out and catches the ball
in his mask, gets the ball in mitt (on left hand), and tags the runner
out at the plate, runner on second going to third, batter to first.
What is the ruling?
Both runners score, and the batter goes to second.
7.05 (d) "Two bases, if a fielder deliberately touches a thrown ball with
his cap, mask, or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place
on his person. The ball is in play."
Again, the catcher has caught a thrown ball with his mask at least once in
major league play.
4) Tie score, bases loaded, two out, bottom of the ninth. Batter
walks. All runners advance to and touch the next base, except:
a) Batter goes back to dugout without touching first;
b) man on first goes back to dugout without touching second;
c) man on second goes back to dugout without touching third;
d) man on third goes back to dugout without touching home.
What happens in each case? Would an appeal play make any difference?
case a and d : The batter/runner is out, and the game goes into extra
innings.
case b and c : The run counts, and the ball game is over.
4.09 (b): "When the winning run is scored in the last half-inning of a
regulation game, or in the last half-inning of an extra inning, as the
result of a base on balls, hit batter, or any other play with the bases
full which forces the runner on third to advance, the umpire shall not
declare the game ended until the runner forced to advance from third has
touched home base and the batter-runner has touched first base.
"PENALTY: If the runner on third refuses to advance and touch home base in
a reasonable time, the umpire shall disallow the run, call out the
offending player and order the game resumed. If, with two out, the
batter-runner refuses to advance to and touch first base, the umpire shall
disallow the run, call out the offending player, and order the game
resumed. ..."
This is not an appeal play.
Barring the DH, this is the most illogical rule that I know of in baseball.
No one got this question completely correct. Umpires sometimes don't
do any better: in one Pacific Coast League game, with the score tied 11-11
in extra innings, case b happened. The visiting team appealed, the
umpires SUSTAINED THE APPEAL(!), and the visiting team later "won" 12-11.
The home team protested the game, and the league president upheld the
protest, declaring the game won by the home team 12-11.
5) Man on first, one out. With the hit and run on, batter swings and
misses, and overswings and hits catcher in the head with the bat,
stunning the catcher, who drops the ball. The runner runs to third.
The umpire decides that the interference was unintentional. What is
the ruling if:
a) There was a one strike count;
b) there was a two strike count?
a) runner is on first, two strike count.
b) runner is on first, batter is out.
Case note to 6.06 (d): "If the batter swings and misses and swings so hard
he carries the bat all the way around and, in the umpires judgment,
unintentionally hits the catcher or the ball in back of him on the
backswing before the catcher has securely held the ball, it shall be
called a strike only (not interference). The ball will be dead, however,
and on runner shall advance on the play."
This question is the one that I got wrong myself.
The reason why unintentional is important is that, if the interference is
intentional, batter is out, (no matter what the strike count), and runner
must go back to first.
The response to this quiz was pretty good. There were 13 responses.
High scores were:
??? houxm!hou2b!halle: 3
John Nicowski, Jr. ccice5!jan : 3
Larry Bickford, Rick Buls, and David Rubin each had two correct.
The number of correct responses for each question were:
1) 3/13 2) 7/13 3) 3/13 4) 0/13 5) 5/13
I will be going through the rule book getting out the really obscure
rules for the next quiz.
--
Courtenay Footman arpa: cpf@lnsvax
Newman Lab. of Nuclear Studies usenet: cornell!lasspvax!cpf
Cornell Universitygarys@bunker.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson) (08/30/85)
I do not agree with your interpretation of the rules in the first question in the quiz. > 1) Man on first base, no outs. Batter hits a line drive to the second > baseman, who tries to double the runner off first base. However, the > throw is wild and goes into the dugout. Where does the runner end up? > Third. > Rule 7.05: "Each runner including the batter runner may, without liability > to be put out, advance --" ... > (g) "Two bases when, with no spectators on the playing field, a thrown ball > goes into the stands... Now it seems to me that the two bases awarded are the one the runner is heading for and the next one. E.g., if a ground ball is thrown into the dugout, the batter-runner gets awarded first, which he had not yet reached, and second. In the case above, the two bases awarded the runner are first, to which he was no longer entitled because of the caught fly, and therefore must "tag up," and second. > ...When such wild throw > is the first play by an infielder, the umpire, in awarding such bases, > shall be governed by the position of the runners at the time the ball was > pitched; in all other cases the umpire shall be governed by the position of > the runner at the time the wild throw was made." The first play was the catching of the fly, which changed the position of the runner from being entitled to first, on his way to second, to not being entitled to first, and on his way back to first. Such is my reasoning; where do you think I err? Gary Samuelson ittatc!bunker!garys
stevev@tekchips.UUCP (Steve Vegdahl) (08/30/85)
> 1) Man on first base, no outs. Batter hits a line drive to the second > baseman, who tries to double the runner off first base. However, the > throw is wild and goes into the dugout. Where does the runner end up? > Third. > Rule 7.05: "Each runner including the batter runner may, without liability > to be put out, advance --" ... > (g) "Two bases when, with no spectators on the playing field, a thrown ball > goes into the stands, or into a bench (whether or not the ball rebounds > into the field), or over or under or through a field fence, or on a slanting > part of the screen above the backstop, or remains in the wire meshes of > a screen protecting spectators. The ball is dead. When such wild throw > is the first play by an infielder, the umpire, in awarding such bases, > shall be governed by the position of the runners at the time the ball was > pitched; in all other cases the umpire shall be governed by the position of > the runner at the time the wild throw was made." > Thus the runner gets two bases from where he was at the time the ball > was pitched, i.e. third. > Note that the rule is the same in softball (Rule 8.5g, Official Softball > Rules). I have *never* played a game of baseball or softball where this > rule has been properly followed-- everyone always says `one base on an > overthrow'. Grrrr. When I umpired Little League, we were taught to interpret the 2-base rule "the base he's going to, plus one more". In the situation above, the runner is going (back) to first base. Thus, he gets a free ride back to first base, plus gets second base free, for a total of two bases. I'm not saying that this is the proper interpretation, but that's what we were taught. The "rule" of "one base on an overthrow" often amounts to the same thing as the official two-base rule, as the latter is applied with respect the runner's positions at the time of the throw (or pitch, but not the time that the ball goes out of play), while the former is generally applied after the runner reaches or crosses the base at which the play is being made. Steve Vegdahl Computer Research Lab. Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon