runner position after out of play throw

[Guest JimJ]

There's a runner on first. The batter hits a grounder into the outfield. By the time the fielder gets to the ball, the runner has rounded second and is heading to third. The fielder throws to third. The catch is missed and the ball goes out of play. The umpire ruled that since the runner started the play at first and that the throw occurred as part of the initial play in which the batter/runner was headed to first, she is only entitled to third base - the base she was headed to plus one more.  I disagree but what do I know? We would have lost anyways but it was a fun tournament raising money for a good cause and everyone had a great time. The ump's call was challenged by our manager and the ruling was accepted without any histrionics.

Thanks in advance for your opinions on this.

Jim

 

[Replacematt]

A throw from an outfielder that goes out of play results in all runners being awarded two bases from the time of the throw. Your umpire was incorrect. Also, there is no such thing as one plus one. If you have an umpire that says this, you have to be suspect of everything that game. 

[Rich Ives]

Matt,  Could you make the distinction between being awarded two bases as opposed to one plus one? My non-umpire interpretation of this rule is that the runner(s) are awarded the base they were headed to plus one additional base. Hence, one plus one. I appreciate the comment from Ken that it starts from the time of throw rather than the time of the pitch marking the beginning of the play. Thanks to you both. Jim

They are awarded two bases from their physical position at the time of the throw. Period. No consideration of which direction they were headed. Two bases from where thy physically were.

[LMSANS]

The ASA/HFHS fast pitch rule is the same as baseball.

[KenBAZ]

Matt is correct, two bases from TOT. I've had a couple of clinics emphasis the need for us to remember this as "time of release". Not when the throw went out of play or deflected off a wall. We place runners based on the bases they'd achieved at the time the throw leaves the defensive players hand. Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[Guest JimJ]

Matt,  Could you make the distinction between being awarded two bases as opposed to one plus one? My non-umpire interpretation of this rule is that the runner(s) are awarded the base they were headed to plus one additional base. Hence, one plus one. I appreciate the comment from Ken that it starts from the time of throw rather than the time of the pitch marking the beginning of the play. Thanks to you both. Jim

[grayhawk]

They are awarded two bases from their physical position at the time of the throw. Period. No consideration of which direction they were headed. Two bases from where thy physically were.

Exactly.  To give an example, let's say in the play you (JimJ) posted, the runner that was between second and third decided to head back to second when the throw was released.  You don't give him second (the base he was headed to) and then third.  He gets 2 bases from the last base he achieved, which was second base.  So his two bases are third and home.  1 + 1 <> 2 in baseball.

[maven]

The umpire ruled that since the runner started the play at first and that the throw occurred as part of the initial play in which the batter/runner was headed to first, she is only entitled to third base - the base she was headed to plus one more. 

"She?" Sounds like softball. The discussion above provides the baseball ruling.

[stevis]

"She?" Sounds like softball. The discussion above provides the baseball ruling.

No reason for this.  Girls can play baseball just fine.

Not that the OP couldn't clarify the rule set, natch.

[maven]

No reason for this.  Girls can play baseball just fine.

Of course they can. My wife is better than most guys I know.

But that's not the way to bet.

[Guest]

Actually it was mixed slo-pitch under NSA sanctions in Canada. I'm pretty sure that this rule is universal for all the variations of the game. I think the ump made the wrong call but I also think that he thought it was the right one. There's only one ump in these games and sometimes it's pretty hard to keep track of all the moving parts. Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this. It's certainly been clarified in my mind.