Running Down The Line With The Pitch
Dan Courtney from Baltimore, MD asks:
With bases loaded and two outs and a count of 3 and 2 on the batter, does the runner from third have to stay in the baseline when running towards the plate when running with the pitch? Can you give me the mlb rule and the nfhs rule?
A runner establishes his own base path when a tag is about to be made on him and he is out if he runs more then three feet from that. So in other words, no, the runner does not need to run directly down the line on his way to the plate as long as he does not interfer with the play. However, the runner might elect to run on the foul side of the third base line because if he is in fair teritory and is struck by the ball then he will be called out. I would assume that this rule is the same for both NFHS and MLB.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Runners