Baseball Instruction/dropped third strike

Advertisement

Expert: - 4/4/2009


Question
Two outs, runner on third base, catcher drops 3rd strike. Ball goes to backstop, catcher retrieves ball and throws to first baseman who is down the line towards homeplate. First baseman tags runner for 3rd out. Runner from third scores before the tag by first baseman, does run count?

Answer
John,

The run does not count.  The out is a force out and a run can't score when the out is a force out.  If this same play happened and the runner was tagged out after making it to first (maybe while trying to go to second) then the run would count.

Hope this helps!

Brian

Baseball Instruction

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Brian Flaspohler

Expertise

Questions about baseball rules, general information about the game, statistical analysis, questions about players, questions about Baseball records. I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a lifelong baseball fanatic. Don't ask me questions about training - this is not my area of expertise.

Experience

Lifelong fan, article about player movement from team to team throughout history.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.