Occupying a Base
John from Indiana asks:
Runners on second and third base with two outs. Ground ball hit to second base and batter beats the throw to first. Runner on third takes two steps towards home and stops. Runner on second runs to third and touches third base, then returns towards second. Question is can runner on third return to third or is it now occupied by trail runner?
Yes, the runner who was origionally on third can return to third base. The runner who ran from second to third and then back to second is no longer occupying third base because he is not touching it so the origional runner from third can return to third base.
However, if the player who was origionally on second touches third and then goes past it he must first retouch third before returning to second. If he does not then it would be the same as if he missed a base while running the basepath normally and the defense could appeal and get him out because he missed the base.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Runners