Force out?

[CoachJ5513]

SS makes diving attempt at line drive, but winds up trapping ball. Runners on 1st and 3rd, 2 out. From her hands and knees dives and touches bag with her throwing hand (ball in glove).
Umpire calls girl safe because base was tagged with bare hand and not ball.
I argued that you don't have to catch the ball at 1st with your feet...Am I right?

 

[Comp]

Touching a base to which a runner is forced with any part of your body while in secure possession of the ball is legal. By umpires standard then no force play should ever be called when a defensive player only has a foot on the bag. The same would apply to a live ball appeal to a missed base or a base left before a caught fly ball. They were obviously confusing physically tagging a runner that is off base with touching a base to which a runner is forced.

Hope it didnt effect the outcome of the game and the ruling should have been protested on the spot.

 

[CoachJ5513]

As it turned out, the play had little effect on the outcome.

 

[shockcoach]

Did you protest the call to the UIC or TD? I would have.

 

[BretMan]

This is a common misconception and a question that I've seen come up at least a half dozen times on various discussion boards this season alone.

The umpire that made this call needs to check his rule book! The answer lies in the definition of what constitutes "a tag". The confusion lies in the fact that there isn't one definition, there are two. One covers the tag of a runner, the other covers the tag of a base. They each have different requirements.

Tagging a runner requires touching the runner with the hand or glove that is securely holding the ball.

Tagging a base requires that the ball be securely held in the hand or glove while the base is touched by any part of the fielder's person or properly worn equipment.

So, touching a base with the bare hand while the ball is held in the glove is a perfectly legal tag- of a base. But it's not a valid tag of a runner.