Expert: Tom Schott - 9/10/2006

Question
I'm a rules junkie, and I *think* I go this correct at the time, but I'd like a second opinion.

Situation: USA high-school game, both teams a bit tired from making up rainouts, this game will determine conference champion.  Visitors at bat, home team is ahead 5-4.  Runners on the corners, 2 out.  The count is 1-2.

With the pitch, the runner on first breaks for second; the batter makes a half-hearted swing at a low pitch.  The umprie's hand goes up, and he calls the strike.  The catcher does wait for the call and fires the ball toward second base ... which glances off the shortstop's glove and dribbles about 15 feet behind the bag.

I won't detail the ensuing confusion, but nearly two minutes later, after three failed rundowns and several errors, both baserunners have crossed the plate.  The batter is still standing near the plate, thinking somehow that the call was ball 2.  The catcher is standing on the plate with the ball, dejected at the last throw coming too late to score the second (go-ahead) run.  The catcher tosses the ball back to the pitcher.

Only two people noticed the critical detail: the low pitch hit the catcher's glove, hit the dirt about 3 inches below, and came right back to the pocket -- which is why the umpire hasn't made any further call.  The other observant party, the home team "manager" (equipment pack mule), calls to the pitcher "Throw Frank the ball!"

The pitcher doesn't know why, but looks toward Frank (the first baseman) to see if he knows what's going on.  The batter figures out the problem and breaks for first, prompting the pitcher to take action.  The throw beats him by 20 feet, and the umpire finally calls the batter out.

My question is, as official scorer, how *should* I have recorded this?  Since both runs were scored on the force-out play that ended the inning, they're nullified.  My ruling at the time is that the ensuing run-downs, errors, etc. have no official bearing on the game, since neither runner got credit for safely advancing a base (nullified on the 3rd out).  I scored it as a strikeout for the pitcher, followed by a dropped 3rd strike with a 1-3 putout.  The fact that everyone but the first baseman and right fielder had handled the ball in bewteen is immaterial: the actualy put-out was pitcher to first.

Now, did I do that correctly?  I'm asking because, all these years later, there's a school fielding record in question.  If the intermediate play is supposed to count, then the third baseman's two (nullified?) errors change the all-time fielding statistics.

Also, I've wondered since, what would have happened if the manager hadn't noticed?  The pitcher delivers what everyone *thinks* is the 2-2 pitch, not realizing that the previous play is still active.  If the batter makes contact, the ump can call him out for interference.  With any other result, does the ump stand mute and wait for someone to figure it out?  Does he send word to correct the (unofficial) scoreboard, now showing 6-5 for the visitors and a 2-2 count?  (I think not -- the protocol at the time was for the ump to check with the official scorer between half-innings, coordinate understanding of the game situation, and leave the scoreboard up to the home team.)

I've had some amusing thoughts about it since, imagining two more "pitches" in the dirt, and watching the batter waltz unmolested to first, finally legitimizing the runs three minutes after they crossed the plate -- not finding out until after the half-inning that they'd been tossing around a ball in play.

Thanks in advance.

Answer
"Prune" (what a cool moniker!)

 You are absolutely correct about this. The strikeout and the 1-3 putout (odd in itself) on the play are all that matter. That out ends the inning. Everything else is just sideshow and none of it results in any official stats. As for your hypothetical case if the manager hadn't noticed, my God, that's a horror! I'm actually not sure what the answer is: it cannot be a 2-2 count because the batter took a swinging 3rd strike. The strikeout, since the catcher caught the ball on a bounce, is still "pending" either a tag or a throw to first. So the ball is still in play. Blue cannot allow another pitch obviously with a ball still in play. Just be glad it didn't happen in the hypothetical way!

Tom