Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Baseball rules question

So, when I can, I help with my sons team. The two other coaches and I are pretty baseball savvy, but had a situation pop up that we aren't 100% sure on.

Situation.
Bases loaded, 1 out.
Grounder hit to first baseman. He fields and tags first (batter out). Runner from 1st stops, and retreats back to first *kids are 9-10 years old*, first baseman tags him before he gets back to first.

Runner crosses the plate before the tag is made.

Does the run count?

I say yes, because the first baseman stepped on first, thus eliminating the force play, and the 3rd out was a tag out.
However, can the runner retreat to first?
Again, I say yes because the force out is no longer applicable, once the first baseman steps on first.

You are correct on both counts, sir.

Once the force out is eliminated at home, the scoring of the run now becomes what is called a timing play. The “timing” of boy crossing the plate with respect to tagged 3rd out determines if the run counts.
You’re right.

How I see it^^^

Score the run and unassisted double play by 1st baseman.

I haven't umped a game since my son was in J Hi/Babe Ruth. Tuesday I was on the bases for the first time since then

You are dead on

LL is fun aint it? I had the honors of coaching allstars last year, that was a whole 'nother set of rules. I'll never do it again. Parents take the fun right out of it.

Spot on^^^

Yup, Yup! That's some good ball right there!

I agree with the others on how you called it.

Daughter is 9 and into softball. Invited to a travel team (not crazy nationwide, just 100 mile local travel). After playing on that all fall and spring, I forgot how bad the 'rec league' play is. Go from 9 players that for the most part are all pretty good, to 2 players that can throw and catch well, 2 that are so-so, and 5 that are only concerned about the free pop-cicle after the game. Fun stuff.

And yeah, the parents that have no clue what they're talking about but don't hesitate to be vocal are fun. One of our 'travel' grandma's is 1st base coach on one of the rec league teams. She is adamant (screaming during the game) that if a runner over runs 1st and turns left to return to the bag in a timely fashion (not turns left and makes a hard move to 2nd) that that they're a live player and can be tagged out, so adamant I had to look at the rules, guess what, loud mouth grandma was wrong just like I thought)

You mean the runner turned around to go back to first by rotating in a counterclockwise direction? Otherwise, I'm confused.

I've been involved with various sports and in my experience the adults that are the loudest are the one that know the least about the game. When I played a asked my dad to behave. I didn't want to be on the field or court and hear him in the stands. I didn't want to be embarrassed and it also could have been me making a mistake and drawing the ire of the other parents.

Yes, rotates counterclockwise (shoulders turn towards 2nd base) to return directly to the 1st base. As opposed to turning to the right or clockwise (towards 1st base dugout). Old wives tale that the player MUST turn towards 1st base dugout, or they become a 'live runner' and can be tagged out.

I think this is something perpetuated in t-ball leagues to avoid confusion when kids are loopy and wander around anywhere and get tagged out. Some people just latch on to it that it is stated in the rule books that you can not turn counter clockwise, which it is stated nowhere in the rule books.

What is sad is on an invite only team, often a player might be good, but the people running the team don't want to deal with the parent. My wife has a good friend that is constantly running her mouth from the stands. Crazy how her gifted son is not invited to play on any local teams, so they drive him 70 miles to play on a team where her mouth is not known. Crazy how her daughter is pretty talented and not invited to play on my daughters team. Purely because our coach doesn't want to deal with mommas mouth in the stands.

I have a kid in LL. 10U.
I help when I can but I don’t know schit about baseball.

As to parents. I was that guy at his first game. He took a pitch straight to the head. Granted, 10yo’s don’t throw too hard, but this pitcher was way faster than kids on our team.
He turned as it was coming, hit him square in the back of the helmet. He dropped the bat and started towards first. Ump told the catcher to pick up the ball and tag him out.
I got a bit hot. Loudly said he was just hit in the head. Maybe repeated it a few times😂.
ump disagreed. Said it hit his bat first.
Told the ump to do better. Then I sat my azz down. Lol. Realized pretty quick I didn’t need to be that parent. Kid handled it well.

Same time, when parents and the kids all see a 10yo just took a pitch to the head, even if you didn’t, take a second, check on the kid, and don’t advise the catcher how you think he should play.

These must not be little league teams. On those teams players are picked by try outs. Or they were when I was involved. Having been involved with baseball, softball, football and wrestling, the parents can make or break the team, or individual player. So many parents try to live a sports life through their children, because they sucked as players in their own right. Observed it for years. It's a shame to hear teams pick players, by the parents attitude. Probably missing some good players, with parents that could be removed from the stands, by a good umpire. It usually only took one, your removed from the complex until the game is over, if you come back your team forefits. I found that usually shut them up. And put peer presure on them from other parents.

Good call coach.

Yep. Run counts because it wasn’t a force out.

I gotta brag a little but somewhat similar play. Last week my grandson was playing first base in a coach pitch game. Runners on first and third, no outs.

A line drive was hit to him and he caught it for the first out. Both runners started running on contact so he touched first base for the second out and ran across the infield and touched third. Unassisted triple play! 😁 I think he ran it to third because he wasn’t sure he could make the throw or the third baseman wouldn’t catch it.

Next game, he hit one through all the fielders and got a inside the park home run. My son was coaching third and he said as Grandson was rounding third, “nothing short of a clothesline would have stopped him!” 😂

You have no idea how true this is. Especially my ex wife. She has literally NEVER hit a thrown ball in her life, but damn sure shouts out instructions to my son. We wont even talk about her mouth during the game. All game. Every game.

I got one for ya. High school softball district tournament last night.

Runner on first. One out. Line drive hit to first base. She drops the ball. Runner on first doesn’t move. She picks it up and steps on first, then tags the runner who’s still on first.

Who’s out?

Did the baserunner step off of first and return?