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Runner Completely Misses First Base


Guest Mark
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Hi,

I was doing a girls softball 10 game and I had a play where the runner hits a ground ball to the shortstop and beats the throw but totally misses first base. She immediately turns around and goes back to the base. The defense appealed it before the next pitch and I called her out. The team that was batting argued that even though she missed the base she was on it now. I said she missed the base and there was a dead ball appeal so she is out even though she is on the base now. Was that the correct call.

 

Mark

 

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Not sure about softball, but in baseball, the defense needs to appeal the missed base before the batter/runner returns. Once the batter/runner returns and touches, no appeal would cause him/her to be out. 

Codes vary as to if we, as umpires, should call the runner safe once they past the bag, or call nothing as we do when home plate is missed and no tag is applied. 

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I’m with @Tborze on this one... how can you be called out for not touching the very base you’re standing on?

But, I noticed something in the OP – “I said she missed the base and there was a dead ball appeal so she is out.” When did the ball become dead? What caused it to be so? I may not call softball much at all, but I know for certain that after a throw to 1B as an attempt to retire the BR, the ball does not become dead ambiguously. Only a ball leaving Live Ball Territory (and entering Dead Ball Territory, hence the name) or an Umpire calling Time will “kill” a Live Ball. 

Furthermore, you stated that “she (BR) immediately return(ed) around and goes back to the base”. So, I’m of the understanding that she did this while the ball was Live. Therefore, when and how did the Live ball become Dead? 

Hmm.

No, that was not the correct call.

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On 3/17/2018 at 7:30 PM, Guest Mark said:

The team that was batting argued that even though she missed the base she was on it now.

Sound logic.

MadMax's question about when the ball became dead can give us some more clues about how this was handled. For example, if the runner passed the base and time was called before she returned, an unfair advantage was given to the defense. Time should be called only after the play is over since the baserunner is allowed to correct a mistake.

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On 3/17/2018 at 6:30 PM, Guest Mark said:

Hi,

I was doing a girls softball 10 game and I had a play where the runner hits a ground ball to the shortstop and beats the throw but totally misses first base. She immediately turns around and goes back to the base. The defense appealed it before the next pitch and I called her out. The team that was batting argued that even though she missed the base she was on it now. I said she missed the base and there was a dead ball appeal so she is out even though she is on the base now. Was that the correct call.

 

Mark

 

Not in ASA, NSA nor Softball Canada.   Even if it is a dead ball appeal, she's standing on the base they're appealing that she missed, at the time of the appeal.  They had to appeal before she got back to the base.

Would you have ruled the same if she rounded first base on a single to right field, completely missed the base, and then went back to first base?  And then they appealed after the play???

Don't get confused just because F3 did have the ball while touching first base before B/R touched it - the appeal isn't retroactive.  They had to explicitly appeal at that time.

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39 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

Don't get confused just because F3 did have the ball while touching first base before B/R touched it - the appeal isn't retroactive.  They had to explicitly appeal at that time.

This is a really good point.  If F3 fields the throw and touches the base after the runner has passed it and before she returns, we have to judge whether she's playing regular softball, or whether she's making a missed based appeal.  The standard requires that it be clear to the umpire that it's an appeal.

Also, Mark, let me just say that I appreciate your willingness to put your potential mistake out there as a teachable moment.  It's not easy to be vulnerable like that, but it's very valuable.  Not only have you learned from it, but so can everyone else who reads this post.

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