Travesty?

[Guest Michael Atkinson]

Didn’t happen to this extreme in my HS game today but I was wondering what would be the appropriate action here. Bottom of 5th inning home team is up 9-0 with runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs. Runner steals 2nd but stops half way to try and bait the visiting team to get him out hoping that the runner from 3rd scores before they tag him. What would be the appropriate call if the runner decided to just stay put and the visiting team like wise decided to not try and get that runner out. I understand that the visiting team could just get on the mound and face the next batter but for argument sake let’s say they didnt, it became a “stare down” 

[Replacematt]

The appropriate call? None. Everyone can stand there and wait until something happens. 

[Senor Azul]

Fortunately for us your hypothetical situation is taking place under FED rules which gives us some rules to use.

2018 NFHS rule 6 SECTION 2 INFRACTIONS BY PITCHER

ART. 2 . . . Delay of the game includes:

a. throwing to any player other than the catcher, when the batter is in the batter’s box, unless it is an attempt to retire a runner;

PENALTY: The pitcher shall be ejected from the game after a warning.

c. failing to pitch or make or attempt a play, including a legal feint, within 20 seconds after he has received the ball.

PENALTY: The batter shall be awarded one ball.

The following plays are from the 2016 BRD (section 393, p. 263):

The pitcher throws to second though the runner is not attempting to advance. Ruling:  At all levels: warning/ejection.

The pitcher in above play now refuses to pitch. Ruling:  In FED, he is ejected. In NCAA, charge the pitcher with a balk. In OBR, he is ejected, and a balk is charged.

[stkjock]

runner just has a big lead, why would there be any call, no play on him, no call. 

[grayhawk]

Travesty:  The most overused word to justify anything in all of baseball.

[beerguy55]

11 hours ago, Guest Michael Atkinson said:

Didn’t happen to this extreme in my HS game today but I was wondering what would be the appropriate action here. Bottom of 5th inning home team is up 9-0 with runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs. Runner steals 2nd but stops half way to try and bait the visiting team to get him out hoping that the runner from 3rd scores before they tag him. What would be the appropriate call if the runner decided to just stay put and the visiting team like wise decided to not try and get that runner out. I understand that the visiting team could just get on the mound and face the next batter but for argument sake let’s say they didnt, it became a “stare down” 

 

10 hours ago, Matt said:

The appropriate call? None. Everyone can stand there and wait until something happens. 

 

5 hours ago, stkjock said:

runner just has a big lead, why would there be any call, no play on him, no call. 

The reality is, the stare down won't last...anything more than a minute would be highly unusual - kids will get antsy and someone will do something, so 99.999% of the time you would never have to worry about it.

However, if you had the unicorn play where F1 and R1 were zen ninjas and just stared at each other and literally nothing occurred for 1, 2, 5, 10 minutes I have a hard time believing an umpire can't or won't intervene and manage the game along - like maybe tell the pitcher to get on the rubber and then put the onus on the batter to get in the box.   (especially here where I'm assuming the game ends if R3 scores, meaning R1 is absolutely inconsequential to anything)   Unless the game has a "no new inning after" time limit...then just let them stare at each other until time runs out I guess.

Fastpitch specifically has a rule that mandates the runner to make a decision at risk of being put out, but fastpitch doesn't allow leadoffs.

In baseball rules where leadoffs are allowed, let the runner stay 50 feet off base...make the defense decide whether or not to ignore him, or make a move.