Right to return to base?

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Runner on 1B.. no outs. Batter hits ground ball to first basemen who steps on 1B then throws to 2B. Runner going to 2B stops and returns to 1B bag. Ump makes no call yet. 2B throws to 1B who tags runner standing on 1B bag. Ump calls runner out... says she never took 2B and cannot return to 1B.

Correct call? I would have said the runner who returned to 1B was safe.

 

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You are correct, Ump made a terrible call.

 

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As long as the runner never legally occupied 2nd she is eligible to return to 1st once the force is removed.

 

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When F3 held the ball and stepped on first base the batter-runner was out. The force out was also removed and R1 is no longer forced to second base. R1 is free to advance or retreat as she wishes and would have to be tagged while off the base to be put out.

R1 did nothing illegal, violated no rule and should not have been called out.

Even if she had run all the way to second or beyond, as this was the continuation of the same play she still wouldn't be out. All she would be guilty of would be poor baserunning! Runners legally retreat on the bases fairly often and, in fact, sometimes the rules require them to retreat, touching any intervening bases on the way back (for instance, if going back to tag up after leaving early on a catch, or to correct a mistake of passing a base without touching it).

The only way she could be called out for running the bases in reverse order would be if she reached second, stayed there, another batter came to the plate, then for some odd reason she decided to "steal" first base.

 

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Thanks for the confirmations. I couldn't quote the rule but suspected that it was the wrong call.

 

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I think a simple way to remember it is if you make the force at 1B, you have to tag the runner at 2B because she's no longer forced to advance. Technically this gives the lead runner the option to go whichever way she wants.

 

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Worst call ever.

 

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Not exactly same situation, but I'll ask.

Bases loaded. 2 outs. Dropped 3rd strike. Can you just step on home plate and that would be a force and the 3rd out? Or is that not considered a force out situation?

 

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Yes, this is a force out situation and, yes, you can just step on home plate (or, for that matter, any of the four bases, while holding the ball, before the runner gets there).

Here's why:

There are about a dozen different ways in the rule book that a batter can advance to first base- or, as the rule puts it, ways that a batter can become a batter-runner. One of them is on an uncaught third strike. It this respect, a batter becoming a batter-runner on an uncaught third strike is treated exactly the same as if a batter had batted the ball into play.

If there are runners forced to advance, then there are force outs available to the defense.

 

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Thank you.