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Rule on Touching Home Plate


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Watching Ole Miss - uat.  OM plated 3 in bot 2 to take the lead.  Runyon hit a 2-run dinger for uat in top 3.  On the next pitch, Hemphill blasted one over the fence in left.  When she came home, she jumped the plate due to the celebration.  The asst coach for uat was trying to drag her back to the plate to touch it.  Meanwhile, the umpire handed the Ole Miss pitcher a new ball.  Finally, the uat coaches prevailed on Hemphill to come back and touch the plate.  Meanwhile, the OM pitcher had tossed the ball to the catcher, who tagged Hemphill as she approached the plate.  Hemphill, who never made it to the dugout, was called out for the third out of the inning (awarded a triple).  Score now 3-2 Rebels in bot 3.  Osorio has walked 5 in  3 innings.

What's the rule about missing the plate and coming back to touch it?

 

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If player entered dugout she could not come back. I do know there use to be something about coaches touching players to assist them but not sure on that.

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Saw the same and the Ole Miss catcher was pointing out to the umpire she didn't touch the plate.  And the umpire handed the ball to the catcher, not the pitcher.

I do know in high school all bases must be run properly, even awarded bases. In double checking the high school rules (most of which are the same as college), a dead ball appeal (ball was dead because it went out of play over the fence) can be made once all runners have made their advancement and time has been called, the coach or player can make a verbal appeal on a runner missing the base.  Although she had not left the playing field, she had completed her advancement and was only then assisted to come back to the plate.  So I believe she was out on the verbal appeal by the catcher or out for coaches interference in physically touching her to get her back to the base (think of a player oversliding 3rd and the coach helping her get back to the bag).

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So after the not touched home issue, uat later takes a 1 run lead into the bottom of the 7th, a 2 out walk and then a throwing error by 3rd base ties the game and an infield slap single (high bouncer like Ole Miss against AU) scores the winning run.  So the base running error on a home run potentially cost uat the game.

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My initial thought was, if she missed the plate and the assisntant touched her to get her to go back to the plate, she's out, just like Jade Rhodes in the WCWS last year. But what I don't get is the handing of the ball to the catcher and the catcher tagging the runner and then being called out. Maybe it's just the way it all played out on TV, but the show of the catcher tagging the runner and the ump calling her out doesn't seem remotely legitimate, although the runner should be out. 

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Thanks for the comments.  I accept the correction as to whom the ball was handed to.  There was also a discussion between the announcers as to why Patrick Murphy wasn't allowed to protest the game at the time of the home plate incident; so there could possibly be an issue about that going forward, since Ole Miss won.  :bananadance:

Classic example of a game being lost, not won. I had about given OM up.  The Reb second baseman muffed an easy pop fly in shallow right in the 5th  to allow uat to retake the lead.  Then Osorio was mowing them down (12 strikeouts), and retired the first two in the 7th.  At that point she gave up a walk to Serrett , which was the first walk she'd given up since the second inning.  Pinch runner goes in for Serrett (excellent move!).  The leadoff bounces one to Grantham at third; she throws it on a hop to first, and Hemphill can't handle it.  Pinch runner scores all the way from first, and the batter makes third.  Tied at 4.  Next batter hits a high hopper to third, and beats it out for the GWRBI.

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3 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Watching Ole Miss - uat.  OM plated 3 in bot 2 to take the lead.  Runyon hit a 2-run dinger for uat in top 3.  On the next pitch, Hemphill blasted one over the fence in left.  When she came home, she jumped the plate due to the celebration.  The asst coach for uat was trying to drag her back to the plate to touch it.  Meanwhile, the umpire handed the Ole Miss pitcher a new ball.  Finally, the uat coaches prevailed on Hemphill to come back and touch the plate.  Meanwhile, the OM pitcher had tossed the ball to the catcher, who tagged Hemphill as she approached the plate.  Hemphill, who never made it to the dugout, was called out for the third out of the inning (awarded a triple).  Score now 3-2 Rebels in bot 3.  Osorio has walked 5 in  3 innings.

What's the rule about missing the plate and coming back to touch it?

 

You explained it in your scenario. A player who hits a homerun has to touch home plate just like every other base. If he or she doesn't they can be out on appeal to the umpire. If the umpire rules he or she did not touch home plate then he or she is out. It's a baseball & softball rule.

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11 minutes ago, MDM4AU said:

Looking at the SEC standings I notice UAT had 1 less conference game than most teams. Looks like they only played/scheduled 2 v. UT. Why is this? 

http://www.secsports.com/schedule/softball/alabama-crimson-tide

A scheduled Monday game vs the Vols was rained out. It's why the Vols have a 1/2 game difference than us in the standings instead of a full game. Florida-Mizzou & aTm-SC had rain outs as well leaving those teams a game short too.

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4 minutes ago, ellitor said:

You explained it in your scenario. A player who hits a homerun has to touch home plate just like every other base. If he or she doesn't the pitcher can throw the next ball in play to the catcher to tag the runner or touch the plate to appeal to the umpire. If the umpire rules he or she did not touch home plate then he or she is out. It's a baseball & softball rule.

So, once the umpire hands the ball to the catcher and puts it in play, the catcher can either tag the runner or touch the plate to get the runner out. I figured there was a more formal appeal process. I always thought the pitcher had to initiate the appeal from the mound. 

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1 minute ago, MDM4AU said:

I bet if the SEC wasn't so dead set on having game 3 of that series on the SEC Net Monday night they could have played 2 on Sunday.

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4 minutes ago, boomstick said:

So, once the umpire hands the ball to the catcher and puts it in play, the catcher can either tag the runner or touch the plate to get the runner out. I figured there was a more formal appeal process. I always thought the pitcher had to initiate the appeal from the mound. 

For a home plate issues on a homer I guess not, not in softball at least. TBH I have never seen a player have such a brain fart in baseball or softball.

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1 hour ago, jared52 said:

Would she not be out once they mobbed her after missing the plate anyway?

I believe yes if she wasn't assisted to.

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4 hours ago, GBAU83 said:

So after the not touched home issue, uat later takes a 1 run lead into the bottom of the 7th, a 2 out walk and then a throwing error by 3rd base ties the game and an infield slap single (high bouncer like Ole Miss against AU) scores the winning run.  So the base running error on a home run potentially cost uat the game.

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1 hour ago, ellitor said:

For a home plate issues on a homer I guess not, not in softball at least. TBH I have never seen a player have such a brain fart in baseball or softball.

I was thinking Clint would have the poor girl out of uniform and without a scholarship before the game ended.  I'm wondering how that loss will affect their playing attitude coming into our series.

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Here's the rule reference on Missing a base or Home plate

12.22 Missing a Base or Home Plate
12.22.1 A runner must touch each base in order when she is advancing
or returning to a base and the ball is in play. A runner, in the course of
running the bases, is considered to have acquired the base if she touches
the base or passes the base (within a body’s length). If she passes the base
but has failed to touch it, she is considered to have touched it until the
defense appeals she has missed the base. See Rule 7.1.1.
12.22.2 A runner is assumed safe until put out. If a proper appeal is not
made, the runner is safe.
12.22.2.1 If a runner misses home plate and the fielder misses or makes
no attempt to tag the runner, the umpire should make a safe signal and
declare “No tag.” If an appeal play is made (that is, by tagging either
the runner or home plate), the umpire should then make a decision on
the appeal.

12.22.2.2 If a runner misses home plate, she is considered to have scored
on a timing play. If she returns and touches home plate, the time is
established upon contact with home plate. If she does not return, the
time is established at the time she passes home plate.
12.22.5 A runner may not return to touch a missed base if:
12.22.5.1 She has left the field of play;
12.22.5.2 A trailing runner has scored;
12.22.5.3 She is standing on a base beyond the base she missed, and play
is suspended;
12.22.5.4 The ball is put back into play after having been dead; or
12.22.5.5 On a dead-ball base award, she has touched the final base of
the base award.

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  • WarTiger changed the title to Rule on Touching Home Plate

So based on that rule, since she missed the base and then the ball was put back into play, the runner can't go back and touch the plate. I'm not sure the appeal process was carried out correctly, though. 

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16 cost them the game any way you look at it.  The HR brain fart, getting thrown out at third, and the biggest... not scooping the throw to first for the final out to seal the win.

Guess she was too busy dancing in the dugout to actually focus on playing.

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10 hours ago, boomstick said:

So based on that rule, since she missed the base and then the ball was put back into play, the runner can't go back and touch the plate. I'm not sure the appeal process was carried out correctly, though. 

Since she was still on the field she can return and touch the base.  It's pretty common for the umpire to give the catcher the ball in that situation and fortunately for the catcher (if she didn't know already that she missed the base), she saw the runner coming back to the plate and just tagged her.  It could be she knew already or it could have been just a hunch since the player came back.   Very hard to know given the players that surround home in those situations. 

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Rule of thumb coaching youth baseball. Kid hits a home run first base base coach says slow down and touch all bases. 3rd base coach reiterates touching home.  

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2 hours ago, WarTiger said:

Since she was still on the field she can return and touch the base.  It's pretty common for the umpire to give the catcher the ball in that situation and fortunately for the catcher (if she didn't know already that she missed the base), she saw the runner coming back to the plate and just tagged her.  It could be she knew already or it could have been just a hunch since the player came back.   Very hard to know given the players that surround home in those situations. 

I have a feeling Murphy was trying to get her to come back without making a scene but gave himself away anyway. 

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