Baseball Rules - What to Do with Close Call (Emiliano M. Gonzelez)

Right after a close play have you ever heard a Little League coach or perhaps an announcer on television state that a "tie goes to a runner"? It's a typical saying in just about every baseball and also softball league in America. It's a myth, but is it really wrong?

MLB's rule book can make it clear that any runner shall have the right to an unoccupied base when this individual touches it before he is out. On the other hand, the particular rule book likewise can make it clear that if a runner is actually tagged or forced out without touching a base or scoring they must be called out. Rules 7.01 and also 7.1 cover both of these situations pretty vigilantly. However, there is no mention of exactly what ought to be done in the case of a tie. If a runner touches a base in the exact second a tag is used is he out or perhaps does he acquire the right to the base?

Picture a scenario in which you're umpiring an extremely competitive game and there's a bang-bang play initially and you can't tell exactly what the right call is. What should you do? You make a choice and deal with the fallout of any angry coach as well as audience. In this circumstance we could start to see where the saying comes from. It absolutely was derived to help umpires produce a call that's otherwise too difficult to make.

Given MLB's rules and the lack of coverage when it comes to a tie, numerous umpires view this as a statement coming from mlb that there are no ties. The actual debate is the ball either got there before the runner or perhaps the runner arrived before the ball, consequently he is either out or safe. But in reality that is not a lot more than a reason for vague rule guideline. In real life, even if rare, there is a chance there is an actual tie and baseball doesn't know what to do about it.

Perhaps is actually our more modern world of video instant replay that it's time to lend umpire a hand by reviewing a few close plays. Or, perhaps the rule should be altered to accommodate the existence of a tie. Or, perhaps things have gone well during the last 100 years and close plays that swing in the favor of 1 team or the other are a compelling section of the game that needs to be left untouched.

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