When is time actually out?
Time is out when the umpire grants it, and not one second before. A runner who steps off the base because his coach yelled "time" is still a runner off his base, and he can be tagged.
How many times have you watched a coach blow up because his runner got tagged after he “called time”? You’ve probably seen this one…
The runner slides into second, pops up and dusts himself off. The third base coach yells “time!” and the runner takes a step off the bag toward him. The shortstop tags him, and he’s out.
The coach is furious, because he called time. But he didn’t call it. He asked for it.
The ball is dead when the umpire says it’s dead. It isn’t dead when a coach yells it, when a player raises his hand or when the catcher asks. The umpire grants time, or he doesn’t. Until he does, the ball is live and everything that happens counts.
He’ll grant it when nothing is happening — runners standing on bases, the pitcher holding the ball and no play in progress. Ask then, and you’ll get it. But if you ask while the ball’s in the air, or a runner is between bases, or the shortstop is reaching for the tag, the answer is no. Why? Because the rule says he can’t stop a play that’s in motion.
The runner’s job is to stay on the base until he sees the umpire’s hands go up. Hearing a coach yell it isn’t enough, so he needs to SEE it. Then he can step off, tie his shoe or talk to his coach. Players get tagged out every weekend in the gap between asking for time and getting it. It’s almost always the same play: Slide, pop up and wander.
Batters have their own version of this. Say a batter steps out of the box with his hand up, and the pitcher throws anyway. If the umpire hadn’t granted time, that’s a pitch, and it’s a strike if it’s in the zone. So batters, don’t leave the box until the umpire gives you time. And pitchers, if the umpire’s hand is up, stop (a pitch thrown during time is nothing at all).
And once time is granted, no one can be put out and no one can advance. The runner who wanders off during a real time-out is fine, and the fielder who tags him is holding a dead ball.
If I could teach every runner a single habit here, it would be this: After every slide, find the umpire before you find your coach.
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 5.12(b): the ball becomes dead when an umpire calls time, and umpires don't grant time while a play is in progress. NFHS 5-2-1 and Little League 5.10 say the same. A request from a player or coach has no effect on the ball until the umpire acts on it.
A runner slides into second and pops up. The third base coach yells “Time!” The runner steps off the bag toward him, and the shortstop tags him. The umpire never put his hands up. Is he out?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“Coaches and players can ask for time. Only the umpire can give it.”
Can you lead off in youth baseball?
Whether a runner can leave early depends entirely on the league. Little League says he can't go until the pitch reaches the batter, and most travel ball allows leads at every age, so I'd ask before the first steal.
“In Little League, a runner who leaves early gets sent back. He doesn't get called out.”
Is it a hit by pitch if the ball bounces first?
A pitch is still a pitch after it bounces. If it hits the batter and he wasn't swinging and tried to avoid it, he takes first, and if he swung at it, it's a strike.
“A pitch in the dirt that skips up and hits him still gets him first base.”
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