12U Softball-Dropped 3rd Strike, Runner out of Baseline

Question
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So does that mean that if the catcher picked up the ball and took even one step toward the batter (headed toward her dugout)to tag her that mean a play was attempted on her and the batter was out of the baseline?

Or if the catcher retrieves the ball and looks to throw the batter out at first... then is there a play and is the runner out of the baseline?

Or, if when the girl started across the middle of the field, the pitcher makes a step toward her to tag her, is there a play on her and is she then out of the baseline?

Followup To
Question -
Dr. Ambrose,

Situation:
Runner on 3rd base. Called 3rd strike on batter was dropped; batter walks back to her dugout but does not enter.  She realizes she should have run.  By this time the picher is standing on the mound with the ball.  The batter runs from the 3rd base dugout opening toward 1st base cutting across the field half-way between the pitcher and catcher.  At first the pitcher just stands there and then with all the parents yelling, she starts to chase the batter.  I, the coach, yelled at the pitcher that the batter was out, it was an illegal play and to stay on the mound.  After the batter started running across the field, the runner on 3rd threatened to run home.

Ultimately, at the end the batter was ruled out but the umpire said that the ball was live and that the 3rd base runner could have run home (at risk).  I felt like the batter/runner was out of the baseline and should have been called immediately out when she cut across the field and that it was an illegal distraction and therefore a dead ball.

What's your ruling?

How long can a batter wait to run to 1st on a dropped 3rd strike?  Until she enters the dugout?

Thanks,

Ron



Answer -
Hi Ron,
The ball is in play on a dropped 3rd strike and the batter is not out until she enters the team area. There is no such thing as an illegal distraction so we have no rule to make it a dead ball.

There is no baseline unless a play (almost always a tag) is being attempted and then it is 3 feet on either side of a straight line from the batter to the bag.  For example a ball is hit to the fence, the b-r runner runs to 1st, then to right field (for some reason) and then to 2nd.  We would not call him out for being out the baseline because no play was being attempted on him.  We would not call a b-r out for being out of the 3 foot lane unless they were hit by the ball or interfered with the throw.

I don't know how the batter was ruled out but it sounds like the umpire had most if not all of it right.

Mark  

Answer
Good morning Ron,
The definition of a base path is "A base path is a direct line between a base and the runner's position at the time a defensive player is attempting (or about to attempt) to tag a runner.

So as you can see a base path begins when a play is being made.  It is created by the attempted play, it does not exsist before that moment of time.

#1 She is not out for being out of the base path but now that a play is being made a base path exists and it would be difficult to get around the catcher trying to make a tag w/out going out of the base path or being tagged.

#2  the batter-runner is only out if while being out of the 3 foot lane if in the judgement of the umpire interferes with the fielder attempting to make a throw to 1st base.

#3 It depends on where the pitcher and the batter-runner are when they play is being attempted.  Remember the base path is a direct line between the position of the runner and the base.  

We tend (wrongly, even I did it in my 1st answer) to use base line (which is an imaginary line between the bases) and base path interchangeably.  In reality the "base line" has nothing to do with the "base path".  Don't get hung up thinking the the "base path" has something to do with the lines of the diamond or a direct line between the bases.

Please let me know if you need any more info.

Mark