First off there is no such thing as a "close play". I have a 2010 rule book, which is last year, but I'm sure this rule has not changed. It says, "Any baserunner is out when she does not slide or attempt to get around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make a tag on her." This rule applies to all bases by the way. Most people want to interpret this rule as a "close play". But the rule clearly states that the fielder must have possesion of the ball. It also says she must either slide OR attempt to get around the fielder. So if you have a throw home that the catcher has to back up to catch, the runner doesnt have to slide if she tries to avoid the tag. This is a rule that should rarely be called if called correctly. The page in the 2010 rule book starts on page 53 and says "The baserunner is out", then if you go to page 55, letter (T), is where that rule is.