force out is when the runner is forced to advance to the next base

ie runners on 1st and 2nd ground ball

oops

poop

yeah, but isn't it also when a runner is forced to return to his base? hence not having to tag the runner when doubling him up

I dont think so, I think you are allowed to run wherever you want, you just cant leave the basepath to avoid a tag.

Yeah that should be a force out.

base path is a 3 feet on either side of the direction you intend to take to the next base

running across the infield would almost certainly be called out since you have to assume he's going to try to go back to 2nd. i cant ever imagine a situation where this comes up though. any smart team would just chuck the ball to 2nd and ensure they got the out there.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info...on_terms_2.jsp

A FORCE PLAY is a play in which a runner legally loses his right to occupy a base by reason of the batter becoming a runner.
Rule 2.00 (Force Play) Comment: Confusion regarding this play is removed by remembering that frequently the “force” situation is removed during the play. Example: Man on first, one out, ball hit sharply to first baseman who touches the bag and batter-runner is out. The force is removed at that moment and runner advancing to second must be tagged. If there had been a runner on third or second, and either of these runners scored before the tag-out at second, the run counts. Had the first baseman thrown to second and the ball then had been returned to first, the play at second was a force out, making two outs, and the return throw to first ahead of the runner would have made three outs. In that case, no run would score.
Example: Not a force out. One out. Runner on first and third. Batter flies out. Two out. Runner on third tags up and scores. Runner on first tries to retouch before throw from fielder reaches first baseman, but does not get back in time and is out. Three outs. If, in umpire’s judgment, the runner from third touched home before the ball was held at first base, the run counts.

this must come up a lot because MLB has that specific example written into their rules haha

jesus, mauer is on roids

GOOD LORD JOE PLZ TELL ME YOURE NOT ON ROIDS

edit: lol jinx

Hmmm...I dunno about that. I mean, "you intend" is a pretty crazy phrase to put in there which gives all sorts of wiggle room. A big fat slow guy with a hilarious turn radius can go into short right field stretching a single into a double, but thats the "path he intended to take" so its fine. The runner is who establishes the "basepath." I am not convinced that he SHOULD be out for being out of the basepath, although he probably WOULD be.

speaking of weird...this Mauer HR binge is insane. Awesome, but so out of character for him.

wtf since when does mauer have HR power like this

Yeah, thats interesting. I mean...other than SPECIFICALLY the instance of the guy scoring...how is it NOT identical to a force out? No tag needs to be made. He is FORCED to return to his base. The instant the guy touches the bag he is out, regardless of whether he is tagged or whatever.

Seems like sort of a special case of force out. Not that I'm trying to quibble with what you want to call it, I'm happy agreeing that it is not actually a force out. It just doesnt seem like it fits neatly into the category of "non-force outs" either.

nah a force is always defined as being forced to advance to the next base cause the batter becomes a batter-runner... not forced to return.

this definition is written the exact same way in the HS federation rules.

okay, good research karak, that explains it, i guess. i still don't know why that's the rule, doesn't seem right to me intuitively, but that's the rule i guess.

just the way it is i guess.

baseball has some quirky rules that im sure a lot of people have never heard of haha.

btw I would seriously stop watching baseball if mauer were on roids. that would be so crushing. I really doubt it though.

LOL at the fan reaction to damon dropping that

im not even a twins fan and that would upset me. i really like mauer.

doesnt he have a walk year soon? maybe he's working harder.

ok, then i guess the question becomes - why don't you have to tag a runner who is "retouching"?

lol mauer's not on roids. he's a big guy and he hits the ball hard. it's wierder that he hasn't hit many homeruns in his career than that he's hit these few this year.

honestly im not 100 % on this

if a runner leaves early, crosses 2nd and then a fly ball is caught... and they throw the ball to 2nd before he retouches it instead of first, is he still out? i think so but im not 100 % sure. i need to look that up.

karak, can you find the rule about retouching second base?

and there would be a serious crisis of faith amongst the Twins faithful if Mauer was on roids.