By Russ Lockhart

It starts out as a normal play, batter hitting a slow roller to the young second baseman. Being inexperienced, the fielder hesitates as he starts his throw to the shortstop that is charging to second base. With the errant throw, the shortstop has to adjust to tag the bag. The runner slides, crashing into the shortstop sending him to the dirt. The shortstop reaches out his arm to brace his fall, but the arm gives away. The shortstop stands and dusts his self; lucky he wasn’t seriously injured.

Many athletes suffer injuries – minor and career ending – as the result of slides, some legal and some illegal. Interested in protecting fielders on that type of play, the National Federation of State High School Associations instituted its force-play slide rule in 1998 and made it a point of emphasis in 1999.

It’s a safety rule designed to protect a fielder on a force play, especially when a runner takes out a fielder on the front end of a double play that starts at second base. The Federation is trying to cut out the hard slides often seen in professional baseball games, where runners at all costs break up the pivot of the second baseman or shortstop.

At first glance, the application of the rule seems difficult. Once we examine FED 8-4-2b, the force play slide rule, and FED 2-32-1, 2 and exception, the definition of a slide, it’s easier to understand the rule.

Rule 8-4-2 reads: Any runner is out when he: (b) does not legally slide and causes illegal contact and/or legally alters the actions of a fielder in the immediate act of making a play, or on a force play, does not slide in a direct line between the bases. A runner may slide away from the fielder to avoid contact or alter the play of the fielder. Runners are never required to slide, but if a runner elects to slide, the slide must be legal.

First, we’ll look at a legal slide. Then, we’ll look at what constitutes an illegal slide. Finally, we’ll study what happens on the force-play slide rule.

What is a legal slide? A legal slide can be either feet first or head first. If a runner slides feet first, at least one leg and buttock shall be on the ground. If a runner slides, he must slide within reach of the base with either a hand or a foot. (Fed 2-32-1)

What is an illegal slide? An illegal slide occurs when a runner uses a rolling, cross-body or pop-up slide into the fielder; the runner’s raised leg is higher than the fielder’s knee when the fielder is in a standing position; the runner goes beyond the base and makes contact with or alters the play of the fielder; the runner slashes or kicks the fielder with either leg; or the runner tries to injure the infielder. (Fed 2-32-1a-e)

When any of these conditions are met, the call is interference. The ball is dead and the runner is out.

And on a force play at any base, the runner has to slide on the ground in a direct line between the two bases. (Fed 2-32-1f)

An exception is allowed: A runner may slide in a direction away from the fielder to avoid contact or altering the play of the fielder (Fed 8-4-2 b exception)

On a force-play slide rule with less than two outs, the batter-runner is called out in addition to the runner. And runners shall return to the bases occupied at the time of the pitch. Of course, with two outs, the runner is declared out and the batter-runner is credited with a fielder’s choice. (Fed 8-4-2 penalty).

In addition, it is a no call when the runner does not slide in a force situation and does not contact the fielder or alters the play. The force-play slide rule isn’t enforced as long as the fielder has cleared the area. In other words, as long as the defensive player has moved away from the base before the runner arrives and he doesn’t slide and doesn’t have any effect on the play, there is no violation.

The mechanic for the force-play slide rule is: call the play dead with "Time, Time. That’s interference." Point to the runner who interfered and say, "he’s out." Then point to the batter- runner and say, "and he’s out."

This call is usually made by the plate umpire, who after the ball is hit has moved out in front the plate, near the mound on the third base side to watch that play. The base umpire can make the call, if it happens early enough in the play, but most times the base umpire will turn with the play to set up for the call at first.

To make sure everyone is on the same page, a good pregame conference with your partner(s) is necessary. It is imperative that both partners thoroughly discuss situations that could occur in a game because of the coverage problems associated with a two-man crew. Both partners have to know what the other is supposed to be doing so most situations can covered by someone.

One of the most common infractions occurs of a force-play slide rule is on a 6-4-3 or 4-6-3 double play.

Play 1: The shortstop takes the throw just past the bag and has to awkwardly touch the bag for the out. R1 slides legally slides into the bag but goes beyond the bag and makes contact with the fielder, which causes the throw to go awry. Rule: Interference is called and the ball is declared dead. R1 and batter-runner are out on the force-play slide rule. Note: Even if the play is completed on the backside of the double play, it’s a good idea to call the interference and force-play slide rule. That way it’s clear from the start that rule will be enforced in that game.

Play 2. From the Federation casebook (3.3.1j), R1 while sliding into second base feet first, maliciously slashes out with his right leg and trips the shortstop, who is in the act of making the pivot in an attempt to complete a double play. Consequently, the shortstop’s throw is wild and goes out of play. Ruling: Dead ball. Interference. R1 and batter-runner are out on the force-play slide rule and R1 is ejected for the malicious contact. Because R1 did not execute a legal slide, he is called out and as well as the batter-runner. (Fed 8-4-2b)

Play 3. First and second base are occupied with no out or one out and the batter bunts. Pitcher fields the ball and throws to third base for the force out, the ball pulls the third baseman in toward the plate and R2 slides inside the bag on the home side knocking the third baseman down. Ruling: R2 and batter-runner are out on the force-play slide rule. Because it is a force play, the runner must slide in a direct between the bases. When the slide took him into the fielder, he violated the force-play slide rule.

Play 4. Bases loaded with no out. B1 hits to the second baseman whom throws home for the force. The throw is slightly wild and takes the catcher to the right of the plate. The runner slides past the slides and knocks down the catcher. Ruling: Interference. The ball is dead. In this case, R3 and B1 are out. Comment: A runner may not slide beyond the base and contact a fielder or alter his pattern of play. In addition, the force-play slide must be called when the runner slides and stops on top of the plate, contact occurs and the catcher goes down Remember, on a force-play slide rule at the plate, that the run does not count if there is an illegal slide.

Play 5. R3 and R1, with one out. B1 hits a sharp grounder to the second baseman, who makes a good throw to the shortstop as he glides across the bag for the out. The shortstop takes a step in the baseline toward first when he starts to unload his throw. R1 slides on the ground and directly toward the base. R1 cuts down the shortstop in his tracks and is unable to get off the throw. Ruling: Legal play. R1’s slide was legal and directly toward the base, prescribed in the force-play slide rule. Although the shortstop was in the baseline when the contact happened, R1 did nothing wrong. The runner should not be penalized because he did what he supposed to do, and that was meet all the requirements for the force-play slide rule –slide on the ground between the two bases – and a legal slide.

One affront to the coaches in the force-play slide rule is whenever a runner slides away from the bag and is able to touch the base with either a hand or foot. In all situations except the force-play slide, a runner can do this. But, this cannot happen in the force-play slide rule, because the runner has to slide directly to the base. However, if the runner gives himself up, i.e., running away from the base, this is not a violation of the force-play slide rule.

Umpires must remember, first, that the force-play slide is a safety rule, which makes it by nature a punitive rule. Regardless of what happens during the play, umpires always need to err on the side of safety. By calling the force-play slide rule from the beginning of the game, both offensive teams are aware that you know the rule and will call it. With that in mind, the teams may try to avoid the force-play slide rule.