Should this run have counted?

Anonymous asked: The following play occurred last night in my sons (12yr old) game.

Situation is 1 out, runners on first and third.

Batter hits fly ball to short right field, and the right fielder appears to make a diving catch for what would be the second out.

The runner on 3rd, tags and goes home.

The runner on first had taken a few steps and turns to go back to first.

The batter who was about 2/3 of the way to first base turns off to go back to the dugout (1st base side).

The runner from 3rd has crossed home, called safe by the home plate umpire and goes into the dugout.

However, the right fielder dropped the ball.

He eventually picks it up (after runner from third has been called safe and is already in the dugout) and throws to the SS at 2nd base for the force out (2nd out).

The SS then throws to first, and since the batter had peeled off and not run all the way to first, to get the force out at first for the double play and the 3rd out.

Does the run that scored from 3rd count?

In the game the umpires counted the run as scoring.

My understanding was that if the 3rd out of the inning is a force out (and especially for the batter at 1st base) that the run should not count.

The confusion on the field was that the runner had been called safe by the umpire at home, and the long delay before the force out at first was made.

The opposing team did not protest the call.


Rick answered: Thank you for your question.

Wow!!!

That's a lot to have happen on one fly ball. I'm assuming the base umpire had originally called it a catch and out. At what point did he reverse his call?

Rule 5.08 How A Run Scores

(a) One run shall be scored each time a runner legally advances to and touches first base, second, third and home base before three men are put out to end the inning.

Exception: A run is not scored if the runner advances to home base during a play in which the third out is made...

1) by the batter-runner before he touches first base.

2) or by any runner being forced out or

3) by a preceding runner who is declared out because he failed to touch one of the bases.


Everything which happened in this situation is a part of one continuous play.

While the runner from third legally scored a run, at the time he crossed the plate, the actual result of the play determined the third out was made by the batter-runner, as a force out, before he touched first base.

Once the batter-runner gave up on his attempt to reach first base, and headed off to the dugout, that was the force at first..

While true, that he was making that decision on incorrect information by the base umpire, that all sorted itself out in real time.

Had he just gone and run through the base, it all would have played out that the run would have counted.

The run itself never should have counted, the inning should have been over, no run scored.

Bet that was exciting. The rules of baseball can sometimes become difficult to sort out, especially in real time.


Yours in baseball,

Rick