Baseball: Tagging up

[77 Hornet]

Is this legal?
Instead of a runner getting a lead from the base, can he be on the back side of the base but not touching the base? That way when the ball is hit, the runner would be in motion toward the next base and be at speed. The runner could time it where he would step on the base at the same time the ball is caught.

 

[gymrat10]

I'm not a baseball guy, but my take would be this would be legal. You said "step on base at same time ball is caught". You got what you need right there, but if you are saying you might coach the kid to (if he's headed to 3rd) line up a few steps towards right center side of 2nd base, so that he's inline with 3rd, if I'm your opponent, can I have my ss standing on the bag (as if awaiting a throw), thus negating your "head start"?

 

[77 Hornet]

FBRef said it was illegal.

This post was edited on 3/4 11:21 AM by 77 Hornet

 

[White hat]

Took a while but I got ahold of some umpiring buddies who said it's illegal per Rule 8-4-2-o

ART. 2 . . . Any runner is out when he:
o. positions himself behind a base to get a running start;

 

[gymrat10]

Like I said, I'm not a baseball guy. Thanks for the answer. I'd be willing to wager the baseball rulebook is thicker and has more non-mundane case rulings than basketball.

 

[White hat]

I have a rule book for MLB and MILB, and it's written with all the clarity of an international treaty and the excitement of an auto insurance policy. Of course, when I was looking for it to see about this rule, it was no where to be found.

 

[FBRef]

Illegal by every sanctioning baseball and softball organization that I know of.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

MLB Replay


The Replay Center for MLB in New York can't get a call right even with instant replay and rule book. In Friday or Saturday's Braves-Nationals game, a ball stopped at base of fence. the outfielder raised both arms, indicating groudn rule double or unplayable ball. Then he picked up ball and threw it back to infield. Field Umpires never called anything and batter got inside park homerun. After replay review, it was changed to ground rule double.The ball was not lodged and replay umpires blew the call, which is terrible with their knowledge and technology available.
Once outfielder picked up ball any chance of ground rule double was eliminated.

 

[FBRef]

Re: MLB Replay

Not sure what this has to do with tagging up.

However, MLB disagrees with you.

The review led the umpires to institute Rule 7.05f, which states a runner will be awarded "two bases, if a fair ball bounces or is deflected into the stands outside the first or third base foul lines; or if it goes through or under a field fence, or through or under a scoreboard, or through or under shrubbery or vines on the fence; or if it sticks in such fence, scoreboard, shrubbery or vines."

The ball lodged under the padding. That makes it a dead ball immediately. It makes no difference whether he can remove it or not. Had it hit in the same spot and rebounded where he could have fielded it, it would have remained live. It's lodged, therefore it's dead.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Re: MLB Replay


The ball was not lodged under the padding. It simply stopped at base of the wall. Someone took a tape measure out there and measured space between ground and padding. It was 2 inches more than height of a baseball. MLB awarded a ground rule double to not make the outfielder look silly. The proper procedure should have been for outfielder to leave ball as was, and then umpire go out and check it. If ball was then lodged, award ground rule double.

In my opinion, that ruling challenges the integrity of instant replay.

 

[FBRef]

Re: MLB Replay

Originally posted by Hampton Roads 6:

The ball was not lodged under the padding. It simply stopped at base of the wall. Someone took a tape measure out there and measured space between ground and padding. It was 2 inches more than height of a baseball. MLB awarded a ground rule double to not make the outfielder look silly. The proper procedure should have been for outfielder to leave ball as was, and then umpire go out and check it. If ball was then lodged, award ground rule double.

In my opinion, that ruling challenges the integrity of instant replay.

I've seen the replay. There is no 2' between the top of the ball and the bottom of the padding. If the ball doesn't lodge, it rebounds back into the outfield. The umpire in NYC made the only call he could.

As for your opinion, I'm betting MLB can live with that.