Recent content by BretMan

One of my Akadema vintage remakes.

This is illegal in every baseball and softball rule set I’m aware of. In twenty five years of umpiring I’ve seen this happen exactly zero times. It’s one of those calls that’s so rare an inexperienced umpire might not even be aware of it.

As described, this is a triple play. Don’t mix in different rules about runners being hit by batted balls. That’s a different circumstance, different rule, and different application.

This is one of the most enduring rule myths, that if you overrun first base and turn left, instead of right, you’re liable to be tagged out. It ranks right up there with “hands are part of the bat” and “foul pop ups have to go as high as the batter’s head to be caught for an out”! I can remember...

Right before the pitcher is ready to pitch, step directly across the plate from one batter’s box to the other. This is an out...just hope that your umpire knows that!

The fact that the case play references FP is irrelevant. It’s illustrating that runners have the responsibility to run the bases legally, even awarded bases and even while the ball is dead. That's true for either slow or fast pitch.

There’s no liability to be PUT OUT, as in “tagged by the defense”. But they can make outs by violating a rule. On this one, I’d have the runner on third scoring. When the batter-runner passes the runner from first base, the batter-runner is out. If that out happens before any other runners...

It’s been a few years since I umpires NSA ball. My recollection of their rules... - Throwing a bat, or any other equipment, purposely or in anger is unsportsmanlike and can result in a warning of ejection, depending on the severity. - Carelessly discarding a bat, like slinging it after...

Since this was an ASA question, my answer applies to ASA rules. (Which, by the way, bugs me. ASA doesn’t exist anymore and hasn’t for almost five years. They rebranded to USA Softball). I’m not sure what SSUSA is, but it’s not ASA. And USSSA sure isn’t either. But even with the USSSA rule...

Why do walked batters actually have to walk to first base? Because there’s a rule that says all awarded bases must be legally run. A walk is an awarded base. Questions like this make as much sense as asking “Why does a team get three outs instead of two? Games would go a lot faster if they...

There never has been any height requirement for how high a batted ball had to go to be caught for an out. That rule has never been changed.

AG#1: The rule says that the obstructed runner cannot be put out in between the two bases where obstruction occurred. When the runner was put out, you have two choices. Put the obstructed runner on second base or first base. Except you can’t put him on first because the batter-runner will be...

No, I’m not saying that R1 would have crossed the plate before the force out at second base. I’m saying that had the ball not become dead due to a violation by the defense, R1 would have crossed the plate. The rule allows the umpire to place any and all runners affected by the obstruction, not...

In my judgment, R1 would have scored had the play not been called dead. That is, R1 was affected by the obstruction and the umpire is allowed to place ALL runners who were affected by the obstruction. Wouldn’t a runner going from third to home cross the plate easily on a 6-4-3 ground ball...

I’d say that only one fielder can have control of the ball at a time. You must have control of the ball to voluntarily release it. But how can you voluntarily release it if somebody else has control of it? Control means that the ball is securely held in the hand or glove. If somebody else is...