Does the run count on the third out?
A run that scores before the third out counts, unless that out is a force, the batter put out before first base, or a runner ahead of him called out on appeal for missing a base or leaving early on a caught fly. Then it never counts, no matter how early he scored.
The third out changes the way runs count, and it all comes down to what kind of out it was…
Let’s say there are two outs, a runner on third and a ground ball to short. The runner crosses the plate a full second before the throw beats the batter at first. Plenty of parents will think that run counts.
It doesn’t.
No run can score on a play where the third out is one of these:
- The batter is put out before he touches first base.
- Any runner is forced out.
- A runner ahead of him is called out on appeal for missing a base or leaving early on a caught fly.
When the third out is any of those, it doesn’t matter when the runner touched home.
Everything else is a timing play. If the third out is a tag that isn’t a force, the run counts if the runner touched the plate BEFORE the tag. The plate umpire is watching for that moment, and it’s why it’s so important that our runners go hard all the way through the plate with two outs.
Now take one out, with runners on second and third. A fly ball to center is caught for the second out, and the runner on third tags up and scores. But the runner on second drifted too far off the bag, and the throw doubles him off for the third out.
Does the run count? It does, as long as he crossed the plate before the out was made at second.
Doubling a runner off his base is not a force out.
It’s a timing play, just like the tag. I’ve seen entire dugouts argue this one the wrong way — don’t be one of them!
And what if you’re caught in a rundown with two outs and a teammate heading home? Stay alive as long as you can. Every second you last is time for the run to cross.
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 5.08(a). NFHS 9-1-1 says the same thing, and so do the youth codes built on the pro rules. Leaving a base early on a caught fly is an appeal, not a force. When the runner appealed is behind the one who scored, it's generally a timing play. When he's ahead of the scorer and the appeal is the third out, the run doesn't count under the 5.08(a) exception, the same as a missed base.
One out, runners on second and third. Fly ball to center, caught. The runner on third tags and scores. The runner on second wandered too far and gets doubled off for the third out, after the run crossed. Does the run count?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“With two outs, don't jog home. One lazy step can be the difference between a run and nothing.”
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There's no rule about wrists or the barrel -- whether the batter offered at it is the umpire's call. On a ball, the catcher or manager can ask him to check with his partner, but a strike can't be appealed.
“You can yell 'He broke his wrists!' all you want, but you won't find it in any rulebook.”
Fair or foul when the ball hits or passes the base
A ball that hits the bag is fair, and one that bounces past it is judged where it passes. In the air past the bag, it's judged where it first lands or is touched.
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The rules quiz
Ten questions, two minutes. Would you have gotten the call right?
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