Missed Swipe Tag at 1B, B/R Misses 1B (runs through)

[mrtriumph831]

Sitch: 2 outs, Runners: R1, R2. Ground ball to F5 who chooses not to step on 3rd, makes off balance throw to 1B and pulls F3 off base. F3 attempts swipe tag and misses. The B/R avoids the tag and runs over & through 1B, but doesn't touch 1B.

What is the proper mechanic as the BU? Is there a call to be rendered at this point?

There's probably 2 forms of thought on this, since F3 is pulled off, this is not a force play as he attempts the swipe tag.

If you don't have a tag and the B/R doesn't touch the base -- you have nothing, say nothing and wait for the B/R to officially touch 1B and/or F3 to go back and tag the B/R or base. (Ethically speaking is this considered "coaching the defense"?

Or you render the "Safe" call (physical & verbal) and wait for F3 to make the appeal prior to the B/R touching 1B?

Last night this happened, I was the BU. I went with the 1st statement. Did not render an immediate call. B/R dove back to 1B prior to F3 tagging him. At that point I made the "Safe" call.

My PU & I reviewed the play in our post game. Based on this sitch, we felt I got it right. He was kind enough to forward me an email he received on a similar play of which he sought counsel from Jason Klein (AAA Umpire in the International League, Jim Evans Academy Graduate / Instructor). Here is the excerpt from that email:

"The way we teach your play is that when the B/R passes first base (before the throw) and can no longer touch it as he goes by, he has legally reached/acquired first base. The mechanic is to rule him "safe" with the mechanic and voice. It is up to the defense to appeal the missed base. Not calling anything would be "coaching" the defense as to the offense's error. This is the norm for force plays. Tag plays are quite different, and a "no call" is common if the base or person isn't tagged."

So now, I'm not sure, if my mechanic on this play was correct. Moreover, an additional question raised, is the above note from Mr. Klein is how the pro mechanic is taught. Is there a difference in the mechanic at the college or FED levels?

[Dano]

This is confusing.

Your partner tells you that you did it right.. then forwards an email that says you got it wrong?

The instructor is correct.. and you got it wrong.

[dileonardoja]

I am not a well seasoned veteran but I would give the safe mechanic and voice "SAFE...NO TAG!"

I very much am in agreement with the Jason Klein email in that when the B/R passes first base (before the throw) and can no longer touch it as he goes by, he has legally reached/acquired first base and not calling anything would be "coaching" the defense as to the offense's error.

Imagine a play where the throw doesn't take the F3's foot off the bag but the runner beats the throw stepping over and missing the bag. What do you have? Safe; not signaling anything, especially on a close play, is alerting the defense that something is wrong.

[Richard_Siegel]

mrtriumph831,

Jason Klein, of course, is right. Many members on this forum, myself included, have met Jason at several Jim Evans clinics.

You are confused by what a force play really is. First let me say that "techincally" any play on a BR advancing to 1B is not a "force play" by strict defintiion. But for the sake of this discussion we can regard the play as a force out on the BR because the methods available to the defense to retire the BR are all exactly the same as a real force play.

That being said, any way an out is recorded on a runner who is "forced to advance" is a force out. Hence, if the runner's body is tagged by the defense instead of a fielder with the ball touching the base he is advancing to, it is still a force out. So the fact that the swipe tag was unsuccessful changes nothing about the status of the out on the runner being a force out.

If the umpire sees an unsuccessful tag attempt (as is the case here) it is wise to make a "safe" mechanic and announce, "No Tag!" This way everyone will understand that you saw the tag attempt and you have ruled that it was unsuccessful. If you do/say nothing people will think you did not even see the tag attempt at all. When the BR passes 1B "safely" even though he has not touched the base the umpire will indicate "Safe!" in the same exact way he would have if the BR had touched the base.

An umpire will treat a runner who misses a base exactly the same as if he had touched the base until the defense makes a proper appeal.

On tag plays (where the runner is not forced to advance to the base) if the runner passes the base safely without touching it the umpire will now say nothing until the runner is tagged before running to the base ("He's out!"), or the runner returns to the base to touch it before being tagged ("Safe!").

Many folks believe that an out on a BR advancing to 1B is a "force out." The reason this is not true is because the strict defintiion of what "force" is. A Force is the case where a runner loses his right to occupy his base because the batter has become a runner. Therefore, only a runner on base can be forced. The batter does not force himself to advance.

Now that you know this little bit of baseball rules trivia you can go on for the rest of your life treating any play on a BR advancing to 1B as a "force play" and you will never have a problem.

[mrtriumph831]

Thanks boys,

Ultimately, I got the call correct but went about the mechanic incorrectly. Obviously, this will never happen again. Always looking to improve.

Thanks again to all.

[try2ump33]

Richard...After giving the safe call when the B/R passes 1st base, what is the correct appeal for the defense? Can F3 just tag the bag/BR, or does there have to be a verbal appeal as while he is taggint the bag/BR?

[Richard_Siegel]

Richard...After giving the safe call when the B/R passes 1st base, what is the correct appeal for the defense? Can F3 just tag the bag/BR, or does there have to be a verbal appeal as while he is taggint the bag/BR?

The appeal does not have to be verbal but it surely makes it easier. However, the defense must do something that unmistakingly indicates to you that they are making an appeal on the runner. What they do to qualifiy as as an unmistakable act is up to your judgement.

[Hottscott]

Similar play happened last night. I was BU, bases loaded with no outs. Ground ball to F5, throw to plate goes to the backstop but R3 misses plate and continues to dugout. F2 retrieves ball and runs towards 3B as R2 rounds third. While passing the plate F2 steps on plate (not appealing) and PU calls R3 out (for not touching bag earlier). I'm first year umpire but it looked wrong to me. That out needed to be appealed right?

[Dragon29]

Right - The PU was too quick on the trigger here.

[Richard_Siegel]

In tonight’s game I had a non-appeal situation also. The batter hits a to fly ball to short right field. I was the plate umpire. The runner at third base went to tag up and, in my judgment, he left the base a little too soon. The runner starts for home plate and the right fielder uncorks an amazing throw to the plate but it is offline and the picture cuts it off about 20 feet in front of the plate. The runner from third saw the throw, stops, turns around runs back to third base. The catcher yells Three! Three! The pitcher whips the ball to third base.

F5 catches the ball while standing on the base before the runner returns. Is he out? The throw was high. The runner slides into the base safely under the tag. The base umpire immediately called him safe. Of course the base umpire did not know the runner left early. I was thinking about speaking to him and discussing the possibility that the runner should be called out because he left the base too soon. But then I thought better of it as this was not a continuous action appeal because it was not obvious, to anybody but me that the runner left too some

[JBowling]

In tonight’s game I had a non-appeal situation also. The batter hits a to fly ball to short right field. I was the plate umpire. The runner at third base went to tag up and, in my judgment, he left the base a little too soon. The runner starts for home plate and the right fielder uncorks an amazing throw to the plate but it is offline and the picture cuts it off about 20 feet in front of the plate. The runner from third saw the throw, stops, turns around runs back to third base. The catcher yells Three! Three! The pitcher whips the ball to third base.

F5 catches the ball while standing on the base before the runner returns. Is he out? The throw was high. The runner slides into the base safely under the tag. The base umpire immediately called him safe. Of course the base umpire did not know the runner left early. I was thinking about speaking to him and discussing the possibility that the runner should be called out because he left the base too soon. But then I thought better of it as this was not a continuous action appeal because it was not obvious, to anybody but me that the runner left too some

I agree with not calling the runner out for leaving early here. It sounds to me that the defense is attempting to retire a runner who is retreating back to a base, not because the runner left early.

[Richard_Siegel]

In tonight’s game I had a non-appeal situation also. The batter hits a to fly ball to short right field. I was the plate umpire. The runner at third base went to tag up and, in my judgment, he left the base a little too soon. The runner starts for home plate and the right fielder uncorks an amazing throw to the plate but it is offline and the picture cuts it off about 20 feet in front of the plate. The runner from third saw the throw, stops, turns around runs back to third base. The catcher yells Three! Three! The pitcher whips the ball to third base.

F5 catches the ball while standing on the base before the runner returns. Is he out? The throw was high. The runner slides into the base safely under the tag. The base umpire immediately called him safe. Of course the base umpire did not know the runner left early. I was thinking about speaking to him and discussing the possibility that the runner should be called out because he left the base too soon. But then I thought better of it as this was not a continuous action appeal because it was not obvious, to anybody but me that the runner left too some

I agree with not calling the runner out for leaving early here. It sounds to me that the defense is attempting to retire a runner who is retreating back to a base, not because the runner left early.

Yes I agree. Nobody was yelling "No Tag!" as they do when a runner obviously leaves a base way too soon. The only memeber of the defense who would have been able to see the runner leave 3B too soon was the that catcher. I interpret the catcher yelling "Three! Three!" as his instruction to the pitcher as cut-off man to throw it to 3B to tag the runner out.