Home Plate Mechanic

[Guest KFish]

Close play @ plate: R3 slides head or feet first but misses the plate; catcher makes a swipe tag but misses the runner.  Does PU do anything to indicate there was no tag nor no touch (ie. giving the safe signal several times but yelling "no tag, no tag!"), or does stand wait until he has a tag by the catcher or a touch of the plate by the runner?  Is there a written procedure for this?  At the initial play at the plate the PU actually has nothing to call (safe or out).

[yawetag]

Wait until all action is complete before making any signal in this situation. If no further action occurs (F2 doesn't make a movement to tag runner and runner starts walking to dugout), signal the safe and wait for a possible defensive appeal.

[Senor Azul]

Yes, KFish, there is a written procedure—the following is from the 2015 MLBUM (p. 26) based on OBR rule 5.09(b)(12) and its following comment:

“On a play at the plate, should the runner miss home plate and the fielder miss the tag on the runner, it is preferable that the umpire make no signal on the play.”

And the 2018 MiLBUM (section 5.44, p. 60) says the same thing:

“On a play at the plate, should the runner miss home plate and the fielder miss the tag on the runner, the umpire shall make no signal on the play. As outlined in the previous paragraph, the runner must then be tagged if he attempts to return to the plate; if he continues on his way to the bench, the defense may make an appeal.

“A runner is permitted to return to touch home plate when the ball is dead, as long as the runner has not entered the dugout and there are less than three outs and/or a following runner has not scored…

“If home plate is missed during a time play, the umpire should immediately rule on the time play even if the runner misses the plate. The defense is required to recognize that the plate has been missed. If the defense properly appeals, the umpire should then reverse his prior decision and cancel the run. Even if the runner has returned to touch the plate prior to the appeal, the defense’s appeal is sustained because no run may score after the third out is made.”