drop third

by Ned
(Conejo Valley)

Ned asked: Two outs man on 1st and 2nd drop third strike on batter, batter runs to first.

Catcher picks up ball and over throws into right field. As batter is running to first, the first base umpire mistakenly calls the batter out because first base is occupied.

Runner on first and second come around to score but umpire calls third out. The manager on the team batting shows the umpire the rule and he changes the call, the umpire allowed the two runs to score.

My question, shouldn't it have been a dead ball when the third out was called?

I agree the call should be overturned but the two runs should not be allowed to score, it should be bases loaded two outs, is that right?


Rick answered:Ned, thank you for your question.

This one must have gotten exciting right quick.

Rule 8.02 Appeal of Umpires Decisions...(b) If there is reasonable doubt that any umpires decision may be in conflict with the rules, the manager may appeal the decision and ask that the correct ruling be made. Such appeal shall be made only to the umpire who made the protested decision.

(c) If a decision is appealed, the umpire making the decision may ask another umpire for information before making a final decision. If umpires consult after the play and change a call that has been made, then they have the authority to take all steps that they deem necessary, in their discretion, to eliminate the results and consequences of the earlier call that they are reversing, including runners where they think those runners would have been after the play, had the ultimate call been made as the initial call, disregarding interference and obstruction that may have occurred on the play, failures of runners to tag up based on the initial call on the field, runners passing runners or missing bases; etc, all in the discretion of the umpires.

Technically, the umpire did create a dead ball, with the initial call.

Once the manager appealed the call, and it was determined that the umpire had lost track of the outs, the dead ball situation becomes a non entity.

They go back and reconstruct what they feel would have occurred, had it been approached correctly.

So, would the batter-runner have been safe at first and based on the location of the overthrow, would the two runners have scored on it as well.

In their judgment, they must have felt that was the case, and scored them both.

With that initial judgment overturned, did this become the final play of the game?

Yours in baseball,

Rick