Rules Question

[OzzieVirgil]

Had an interesting scenario occur in a softball game last night. I know the ruling may be different in softball, but it got me wondering about the official ruling for MLB.

MLB Rule Book

Runner on second, no outs, batter hits a line drive back up the middle. Ball strikes the runner (before being touched by a fielder) while the runner is standing on second base. Is the runner safe because he was standing on the base, or is he out because he was hit by a batted ball?

The umpire ruled the runner safe because he was standing on second and awarded the batter first base (the ball was dead once it struck the runner).

After looking through the MLB rule book, there is nothing specifically covering this topic. The closest reference is rule 7.08(f) that states:

A runner is out if "He is touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball has touched or passed an infielder. The ball is dead and no runner may score, nor runners advance, except runners forced to advance. EXCEPTION: If a runner is touching his base when touched by an Infield Fly, he is not out, although the batter is out"

There's nothing that I could find that covers either a line drive or a ground ball. Is this ruling correct? Is a runner safe if he is struck by a batted ball while standing on a base?

 

[bassale47]

If any part of the runner's body is touching the base when the ball hits him/her, the runner is safe, though I have to wonder why a runner would be standing on a base when the ball is in play.

 

[Horn_83]

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[AstroVol]

The runner is still out, provided the ball has not passed by or been touched by a fielder. If for some reason the infielders were all pulled way in, in front of the runner, then the runner would be safe regardless of whether or not his foot was on the bag.

The runner's foot being on the bag makes no difference except in IF fly rule situations.

Like you said, this is assuming MLB rules.


I've got another that actually happened in slow pitch softball. I will exaggerate slightly to keep it short. Bases loaded, no outs. Ball is popped up in the infield, and all 3 runners take off running for some reason. AFTER their foot leaves the base, the umpire shouts "IF fly, batters out." The infielder fails to even touch the pop fly before it hits the ground, and the runners each advance one base. None of the runners "tagged" after the umpire made the IF fly rule call. The team in the field touches second base, then touches first base. What's the call?

 

[Horn69]

I'll bite: Everybody's safe b/c runners advance at their own risk - and they each made their base before the tags were made. You say they left their bases after the ball was hit, so they left their bases fairly. I'd rule safe all the way around and run scored.

Hook'em!!!

 

[Horn_83]

You don't need to tag on an infield fly. Runners advance at their own risk. In your example, all runners are safe and the batter is out.

 

[AstroVol]

I'm very glad the 2 of you answered quickly, b/c I'm chomping to tell you what happened.

The ruling on the field was triple play, no runs scored. We had 3 players, including our pitcher, get thrown out of the game (as they should have been) for cursing the umpire in one of the most heated player umpire arguments I've ever seen at any level. Since I had absolutely no doubt about the call being wrong, I gathered the remaining troops and calmly told them and the umpires that we were playing the remainder of the game under protest. Instead of panic, I saw opportunity: we would have 2 chances to win this game, and if nothing else, get some free softball out of it.

I explained to them that if we finished that game and won, we let the protest go. But we didn't win, so we took the protest to the league. They quickly overruled the umpires and declared that we would re-play the game from the point where the bad call was made. And I'm happy to say that we ended up beating them pretty soundly the second time.

And just for clarification, we unfortunately had to play the "make up" game without the 3 players who had been ejected.

 

[DRAG69]

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[OzzieVirgil]

In regards to my OP, I was also of the opinion that the runner was out, regardless of his position on the base or otherwise. I don't know the variation of the rules for softball, b/c of the runner's position on the base as opposed to a lead off. There may be some variation based on the runner's starting point.

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[Bob in Houston]

I had a friend who was a long-time HS and college umpire. He told me about how a base is not an island of safety. If you are standing on a base and hit by a fair batted ball before a fielder with a play has had a chance at it, you are out. This, of course, is why players lead off from third in foul ground.