runner out from coach touching her

Question
at a ten year asa game the base coach was standing there and touched the runner as she left to steal they called her out and called dead ball is this right since he did not asist the runner at all

Answer
Hi Jason,

Thank you for your question.

You were at the game and you say UNEQUIVOCALLY that the base coach did not assist the runner at all, so I'm not going to question that one bit.  I've put it into my head that the base coach just gave her a "high five" or something like that.  So, by rule, that runner cannot be called out, because she wasn't physically assisted by an offensive team member (Rule 8-7-E).  There is no rule that prohibits merely touching the runner.  But Houston, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!  What in the world was the base coach doing so far out of the coach's box?  This is NOT one of the two times that the base coach is permitted to vacate their box.  The coach's box is 8' from the foul line.  This is hardly a minor infraction, it's a glaring one!

But, due to 8-7-E, I just let the runner's steal play out.  If they are out, they remain out, and if they are safe, they remain safe.  Then, I enforce Rule 4-7-C-2-EFFECT, and warn the base coach to remain in their coach's box, and charge an offensive conference if they improperly leave it again.

Now, about the umpire's ruling.  No matter how the coach touched the runner, you can hardly blame the umpire for calling the runner out, since the base coach was so far out of the coach's box.  The umpire probably couldn't help but be puzzled why the base coach didn't just shout to their runner to advance, since the coach's box is so close to the base, so the umpire just assumed that the runner was being assisted somehow.  But that personal opinion of mine aside, the umpire did blow their ruling.  Assisting a runner is a live ball out, not a dead ball out.  This incorrect ruling could have been protested by either the offense or the defense.  Either of them could have been hurt by the umpire's mistake.  The dead ball killed the defense's opportunity to get any additional outs after that live ball play on the assisted runner, and it killed the offense's opportunity to advance and/or score other runners while/after their teammate runner was being put out during a live ball.

Scott Kelly