I have checked a number of sources for a rule interpretation to no avail, so any umpires or wanna-be-umpires, try your luck…
(This happened in a 10-year-old girls game)
The runner was advancing from third to home after the batter had made a hit and was running to first. The shortstop threw to the catcher, but the runner had already made it to the plate (sort of). It appeared from my vantage point that the runner had in fact missed the plate, and was walking back behind the backstop to be congratulated by her team. The umpire made no signal, safe nor out. The catcher, unaware of the runner’s miscue, threw the ball back to the pitcher.
Meanwhile, the runner’s coach quietly and quickly walked to the runner and told her to go tag home plate, which the runner then did. Finally the umpire called “safe”. It was quite comical as at least ten or fifteen seconds had passed from the time the runner had originally “crossed” the plate. The run counted.
My question:
At which point would/could/should the runner be considered “out” if the coach did not intervene?
I believe the play wouldn’t be called dead until one of the two coaches instructed his player (be it the defensive or offensive) to finish the play. If the defensive coach was paying attention, he should’ve told his fielders to get the ball back to the plate and tag the runner. As it is, 'twas the offenive coach that noticed the ump’s no call first.
Or else the ump would’ve eventually called the runner out for leaving the path.
At the same time the ump could have missed the fact that the player missed home plate, so the team in the field would have until a pitch is thrown to challenge home plate if the player did not return and tag- often this is seen when a player tags up at 3rd on a sac fly- the team in the field will challege the run by throwing back to third base after the home umpire signaled the runner safe hoping the third base umpire would rule the runner out…
Good ? which means I’m not sure. I think if the next pitch was thrown it would be too late to tag runner, but don’t see how run could count. Therefore it would be like nothing happened-no run & no out. A rather sophisticated "no call’ indeed in a 10 year old girls’ league.
Reminds me of a play in the MLB some years back… the runner (I think it was Deion Sanders) quit running because he would’ve been out by a long shot - but the first baseman didn’t actually touch the bag. After a long pause, the ump eventually called Deion out.
As I read Rule 7.10, the appeal has to come before the next (non-appeal) play is made (pitch or pickoff attempt). If there is no appeal, the runner is considered safe and the run considered scored at that point.
This happened all the time when I played Little League baseball. The runner missed home plate. If neither team team noticed, the umpire would make no call until the next pitch was thrown. Then he would call time and inform both coaches that the runner had missed home plate on the previous play. He would instruct them to mark the run in their scorebooks (which, presumably, they had already done because they thought the play was over).
This is why we were taught to never leave a base until you had confirmed the call with the umpire or a coach. This is good fundamentals, as my Dad would say. Nothing worse than a kid sliding into third base, assuming he’s out, and walking off the field only to discover that the umpire had called him safe.
Never. The runner would be called out only if the defense makes an “appeal play” before the next pitch, standing on the plate with the ball and informing the umpire that the runner missed the plate.
I think the question you really want to ask is, “How long does the runner retain the right to touch the plate, thus foreclosing the possibility of an appeal?” The answer is, until the next pitch is thrown or the ball becomes dead for any reason. Per Rule 7.10 (b):
I’d like to add something else here, which I believe is a significant addition. Unfortunately, I do not have the MLB rulebook handy to cite the exact rule number. Can anyone confirm?
If I remember aright, the defense cannot appeal the previous play until the next batter has come to the batter’s box. If the pitcher actually delivers to the next batter, as some people have said here, then the missed-plate play is beyond appeal.
The only reason I remember the must-come-to-the-batter’s-box rule is that it’s part of the Dope column about seven batters getting to the box in the same inning, yet nobody scores. (That, too, is a missed-home-plate-appeal rule.)
I can’t find the Straight Dope link, either, but I know it’s been asked here before.
No, an appeal may be made at any time before the next pitch. The next batter gets in the box in your example to make the puzzle work, not because the rules require it.
There’s an interesting difference between missing home place and first base. As stated, if the runner misses home there is no call. If a runner beats a throw to first but misses the bag, the runner is first called safe.
I had suspected the play would still be "live"until the next pitch was thrown. I was sure that the runner would have been “off the base path” and thus deemed to be out however.
Either way, it went unnoticed except by a few, and heck, these kids a just learning the game.