Question about the appeal play in baseball

As I understand it if there's a man on base and less than two outs the runner can advance after a fly ball is caught as long as the runner is in contact with the bag until the ball is caught. He can then advance at his own risk.


However, if the player leaves the bag before the catch is made the opposing team has an option to put on "the appeal play" by giving the ball to the pitcher, he toes the rubber then throws the ball to the base from where the runner allegedly left early and if the umpire agrees the player left early then the player is out.


Problem one.In any other instance of a fly ball with men on base, if the ball is caught and the base where a baserunner is tagged the runner is out. No appeal, no ceremony, just touch the bag and the guy is out.


Problem two. If the Umpire knows the guy left early why does he have to be asked if the guy left early? It seems like such a waste of time. And if the umpire does need to be asked why isn't the appeal play put on every time a runner tags up.


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Now, about those umpires. As I understand it when a right handed batter is up and there's a check swing the catcher can ask the 1st base umpire if the batter swung if the home plate umpire says it's a ball. But, if the home plate umpire calls a check swing a strike there is no appeal for the batter. My question is why does the first base umpire have to be asked? If the batter swung, the batter swumg, let the 1st base umpire say so if the home plate umpiree got it wrong.

Problem one:

it's essentially the same thing. The only time the pitcher steps onto the rubber before the appeal is when time out has been called. if the ball is still live, there's no need to do the whole step on step off dance.


Problem two:

It's not the ump's responsibility to make that call because it's a no call. Once the defense steps ont he bag there is a call to make. the same situation comes into play when a runner slides into home and misses the plate, but the catcher misses the tag. here it's a little more obvious because everyone's looking at the ump and he refuses to signal either safe or out. Reason? no call to make (the runner is not safe, but he's not out either). Once the next play occurs in both instances, the run or base advancement stands.


About the umps:

the strike call is a positive action while the ball call is kind of like the null. basically it's the absence of a strike call. Once the ump signals strike a call has been made and he will not reverse it.

On the check-swing, though, the baseline umpires are providing a better viewing angle. Notice that when the catcher or the home plate ump asks a line ump for help, if the swing was complete the line ump will signal strike and then the home ump will signal strike. it's not officially a strike until the home ump signals it. the first call by the line ump is merely an opinion.


hope this helps.

Problem #1 The pitcher toes the rubber and then steps off to put the ball in play. If "time" has been called the ball is not in play until the pitcher takes his position on the rubber.


Problem #2 Well for a runner to be put out the team in the field has to make a play. That is say a a runner tags up from second and leaves early and is now standing at third base. He cannot be called out until either the base or the runner himself is tagged. Note: In high school baseball there is no appeal play; if a runner misses a base or leaves early on a tag up he is out when "time" is called. As far as why they don't appeal every time, well they do if it is close. If everyone in the stadium saw that the runner did in fact tag up there is no reason to appeal (these guys are professionals and aren't interested in wasting time when they know what the result is). A note here in the completion of the "pine tar game" the Yankees appealed at each base to see if George Brett had touched all the bases, Billy Martin then argued that the umpires couldn't possibly know if he touched the bases because it was a different crew; the umpire in chief then presented Martin wish a notarized affidavit from the original umpires stating that Brett touched all the bases.


As far as check swings the base umpire cannot "overrule" the plate umpire. On a check swing when the catcher point to the base umpire he is actually asking the umpire to ask for help. As a general rule(may even be part of the umpire's procedure at the major league level) the umpire then directs the base umpire to make a ruling, but by the rules the umpire can decline to go to the base umpire and stay with his ruling. Once the plate umpire asks for help he has released the call and now what the base umpire rules is the final decision. There are a couple of reasons the batter cannot appeal wen the plate umpire says he swung. First when the umpire says "ball" he is saying he didn't see the batter swing (leave open the possibility that he swung and the umpire didn't see it) whereas when he rules strike he is saying he saw the batter swing. Also another note the batting team cannot appeal that the batter swung when the umpire rules ball (batter checks his swing with 2 strikes and the ball gets away from the catcher and the batter runs to first, the batter cannot ask for a ruling that he swung and missed if the plate umpire has ruled he didn't swing)


I hope this helps, the above info was accurate in the mid 90s. I no longer have the rules memorized (well I remember some important ones like that 4.19 deals with protesting a game). They make minor (and some not so minor) changes virtually every year so there may be a technical situation that has been spelled that is not covered by these basic rules. Also the umpire in chief can rule on any point not covered in the rules (Bruce Froemming (sp?) using replay to determine if a ball cleared the fence; the use of replay has since been forbidden instead of omitted form the rules).


Randy Refeld