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Online now: 2 members: TABLE SETTER 11, birdie; 85 anonymousDiscussion: coaches touching a runner
| Posted | Discussion |
| March 30, 2016 1jonsey 48 posts | coaches touching a runner had a runner round 3rd base and was held up by the base coach, as he was walking back to 3rd the coach tapped him on the shoulder and said nice hit, there was no play being made on him, the home plate umpire called him out for the coach "touching the runner" I'm confused in the wording. The umpire said he cant touch the runner at all, I argued the wording meant the coach cant touch him in assisting him back or forward, as in grab him or push him, but a pat on the back for a good hit was OK I know the wording of the rule back in 2011/12 used to say when a coach touches "OR" physically assists a runner, then in 2012/13 it was changed to the rule below 2016 rule 9.2 V. When, in the umpire’s judgment, a coach touches and physically assists a runner, what is the intent of the rule?? |
| March 30, 2016 garyheifner 649 posts | Very common for a 3rd base ump to high 5 a guy in his HR trot. According to this ump, the HR should be an out. Obviously, ump used no common sense. |
| March 30, 2016 SSUSA Staff 3483 posts | Pretty harsh (and probably incorrect) call on that one ... The intent of the rule is to prevent an "assist" for the runner ... Examples include, but are not limited to, pushing the runner toward home, preventing a fall by catching him or holding him up (or helping him up after a trip/fall), redirecting the runner running too wide, etc ... The key word is "and" in the rule ... Merely touching the runner is not prohibited, but it is solely the umpire's judgment if that touching also assists ... We are aware that many umpires simply take the guesswork out of it by ruling that any touch is an assist ... While that may or not be technically correct, the best advice is to not touch the runner ... |
| March 31, 2016 Joncon 328 posts | """Obviously, ump used no common sense.""" Or he was unfamiliar with the rule change. Whoever wrote the original rule used no common sense. |
| March 31, 2016 Nancy Allen Men's 55 1438 posts | Gary, there is no guarantee that an umpire knows the rules, but a HR is a dead ball situation. There should be no issue in hit and sit, but in baseball for instance, the ball is dead, and an appeal on touching a base should be the only rally killer. |
| April 2, 2016 B.J. 1105 posts | I agree with the point about the umpire using common sense...but that doesn't always happen....sometimes when rules are written there are gray areas in them and umpires interpret them differently..when this rule was re-written a few years ago if they had removed the words "touches and" it would have become only about physically assistint the runner |
