THE BASE PATH
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RULE 5.09(a)(1) – Any runner is out when… he runs more than three feet away from his base path to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely.
SITUATION: Runner gets caught in a rundown and reaches a base safely after avoiding a tag. The umpires talk it over and decide he is out for running out of the base path.
COMMENT: Watch the first-base umpire. He lines himself up with the runner. He is definitely the umpire who, in the conference, deems the runner had moved more than three feet out of the base path to avoid a tag. It’s a tough call. This call has to be made by an umpire on the fly. As the tag is being attempted, did the runner stray three foot or more out of his direct path to second base? It looks like he strayed about 35.6 inches out of the baseline here, so he shouldn't have b-- See how silly this can get?
SITUATION: Runner avoids a tag in a rundown and reaches a base safely.
COMMENTS: Even from the original broadcast angle, you can see he didn’t move three feet out of his base path. He dove to the ground, which the catcher did not expect. If you're an umpire or you've read the Obstruction section, your eyes were probably locked on the runner(s) to make sure they weren't obstructed by fielders without the ball.
SITUATION: The umpires say the runner has not violated the three-foot rule during a rundown.
In this picture, it is clear that a tag is being attempted on the runner. The very next frame sees the fielder beginning to extend his glove toward the runner. And at this exact moment, the baseline (the red arrow) becomes a straight line from the runner, Josh Harrison, to the base. We are giving Josh Harrison the benefit of using the farthest part of his body (his knee) and the closest edge of third base. The rules don’t say anything about what part of the body is factored in when determining if a runner has moved three feet from the base path.
This picture depicts the furthest distance Harrison reaches when he dives to the ground toward home plate. Using the base width of 15 inches as a reference, we can see Harrison has diverged 30 inches, more or less, from the base path that was defined when a tag was attempted on him. His knee lining up perfectly with the dirt/grass line in the previous image gives us an excellent guide to determine if he's three feet out of the baseline in this image here.
The average adult man's shoe size is 10.5, which is roughly 11 inches. Using that knowledge, could we line up three of Miguel Tejada's shoes from the edge of the dirt to Josh Harrison, and then add another 3 inches to get to three feet? And what part of Josh Harrison's body are we measuring to? Yes, this is getting silly at this point. He probably should've been called out. We're done talking about the three-foot baseline rule.
RULE 5.09(b)(4) - A batter-runner cannot be tagged out after overrunning or oversliding first base if he returns immediately to the base;
RULE 5.09(b)(11) - Any runner is out when... He fails to return at once to first base after overrunning or oversliding that base. If he attempts to run to second he is out when tagged. If, after overrunning or oversliding first base he starts toward the dugout, or toward his position, and fails to return to first base at once, he is out, on appeal, when he or the base is tagged;
Do we really need to provide a definition of "attempt" for clarification here? Watch the play! This is a good call. You see the runner tip-toe onto the line, thinking that plays a factor in this rule, but this is all about the runner making any attempt to advance to second base, however subtle.
A batter-runner completing his run-through in fair territory and his upper body casually turning toward second base as he begins his walk back to first base is NOT an attempt. As a first-base umpire, you should develop a habit of watching the batter-runner complete his "run-through" of first base to ensure he makes no attempt to advance.
RULE 5.06(a)(2) – Two runners may not occupy a base, but if, while the ball is alive, two runners are touching a base, the following runner shall be out when tagged and the preceding runner is entitled to the base, unless Rule 5.06(b)(2) applies.
RULE 5.06(b)(2) – If a runner is forced to advance by reason of the batter becoming a runner and two runners are touching a base to which the following runner is forced, the following runner is entitled to the base and the preceding runner shall be out when tagged or when a fielder possesses the ball and touches the base to which such preceding runner is forced.
With its visualizations, this 3-minute video is perfect.
RULE 5.09(b)(9) – A batter is out when... He passes a preceding runner before such runner is out;
Rule 5.09(b)(9) Comment: A runner may be deemed to have passed a preceding (i.e., lead) runner based on his actions or the actions of a preceding runner.
PLAY—Runners on second base and third base with one out. The runner from third base (i.e., the lead runner) makes an advance toward home and is caught in a rundown between third base and home plate. Believing the lead runner will be tagged out, the runner at second base (i.e., the trailing runner) advances to third base. Before being tagged, the lead runner runs back to and beyond third base toward left field. At this time, the trailing runner has passed the lead runner as a result of the lead runner’s actions. As a result, the trailing runner is out and third base is unoccupied. The lead runner is entitled to third base if he returns to touch it before he is out, see Rule 5.06(a)(1), unless he is declared out for abandoning the bases.
The rule-makers go all-in with an absurd example simply to drive home the point that the runners must stay in the correct order when running the bases and that the preceding runner's foolish actions will result in the runner behind him being the one called out. This 20-second video tells you everything you need to know.
RULE 5.09(b)(4)(B) – APPROVED RULING: If a base is dislodged from its position during a play, any following runner on the same play shall be considered as touching or occupying the base if, in the umpire’s judgment, he touches or occupies the point marked by the dislodged bag.
Not the best example, but it provides us the basis for a hypothetical scenario.
If that ball kicked into the outfield and a runner behind the stealing runner then tries to advance to second, the rules say he must touch or occupy "the point marked by the dislodged bag." If you have a bang-bang tag play at a base that does not exist, you have to make a call. This is the stuff of nightmares.
TIPS FOR UMPIRES
The "baseline” as it pertains to runners does not exist until a tag is being attempted. Think about it: Why isn’t a runner on second base called out for leaving the base path when he is taking a wide turn around third and headed for home on a single up the middle? Because no tag is being attempted on him, he can make his own base path -- and fielders without the ball and not in the act of fielding a throw better give him room!
The “three feet” (36 inches) mentioned in the rule can be tough to measure exactly since umpires don’t carry around a tape measure. A good rule of thumb is to apply the "a step and a reach" principle. If the fielder takes a step and reaches and still can't get to the runner, then the runner has most likely veered more than 3 feet from the baseline.
Runners overtaking each other on the base path is more common in lower levels of baseball; stay on your toes!
We never touched upon the orange lettering way back at the top of this page. Give the benefit of the doubt to a runner who appears to be "out of the baseline" if he was attempting to avoid the fielder's initial attempt at fielding a batted ball.
QUICK QUIZ
R2 at second base. Grounder to the shortstop. R2 advances to third, sees the shortstop approaching the batted ball, and takes a wide route around the shortstop on his way to third base. The shortstop fields the ball, turns to attempt to tag R2, but the runner is well out of his reach. What is the call?
R2 was avoiding interference with the fielder on a batted ball, so there is no call to be made.
Batter hits a grounder to third. Third baseman attempts to put him out, but the throw sails past the first baseman. The batter-runner, having run through first base, eventually comes to a stop in fair territory and walks back to first base. The first baseman tags him with the ball. Is the batter-runner out?
No, he is not; the batter-runner made no attempt to advance. Fair/foul territory does not factor into this judgment.
R2 at second. R1 at first. Batter hits a line drive toward the second baseman, low to the ground, that is instantly ruled not a catch. R2 stays at second, thinking the ball has been caught. Meanwhile, R1 advances to second base. Both R1 and R2 are standing on second base and the defense tags them both. Who is out?
On this play, R2 has been forced to third and can no longer legally occupy second base. The defense can either tag his person or third base to record the out.
R3 at third. R2 at second. Batter hits a line drive toward the second baseman, low to the ground, that is instantly ruled not a catch. R3 stays at third, thinking the ball has been caught. Meanwhile, R2 advances to third base. Both R2 and R3 are standing on third base and the defense tags them both. Who is out?
In this case, R2 is out. Because there is no force play in effect, R3 legally occupies third base.
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