Softball Scoring: stolen base

[The Man In Blue]

NFHS has that same wording, and the next sentence in NCAA has it, too: “…The base runner is credited with a stolen base when she advances a base unaided by…”

Whoops ... my error! I was looking at the posted NCAA verbiage and half paying attention.

I'm going back to my corner of the rule book and looking it up the old fashioned way.

 

[Northball]

Good luck to the scorekeepers making those determinations. Every pitch the runner takes off at least a few steps for the next base at release; if they're doing it well it looks like they are trying to steal and can read angles of the pitch to keep going before the ball hits the dirt or flies over the catcher. Very fine lines to watch whether it should be a SB or WP/PB that gets them there.

 

[Gags]

Yet again, I feel like either I'm missing something, or everyone's arguing without reading the rule.

Per the attachment in the OP:

Section 14. A stolen base is credited:
a. [...]

b. To a runner if the runner starts for the next base on the release, and the pitch results in what would otherwise be scored a passed ball or wild pitch.

@Lemond - Are you taking your initial definition from the NCCA Rule Book? My excerpt above is the clarification offered in the "NCAA Softball Scoring Rules" (.pdf attached by the OP) - not sure if this changes your interpretation at all.

 

[Lemond]

Yet again, I feel like either I'm missing something, or everyone's arguing without reading the rule.

Per the attachment in the OP:


@Lemond - Are you taking your initial definition from the NCCA Rule Book? My excerpt above is the clarification offered in the "NCAA Softball Scoring Rules" (.pdf attached by the OP) - not sure if this changes your interpretation at all.

yeah, sorry, I missed that section. What I pulled was from the rules.
However, in that same clarification, Section 15.a. comes right back and uses the opposite language again (tried to copy/paste but couldn’t for some reason), but essentially no credit for advancing with aid of PB or WP.

If their intent was to say that the runner broke because of/after the WP/PB, that is NOT clear at all. They basically talk circles around themselves.

So, I guess what they need to clarify is what does “aid” mean?

I just have a very hard time crediting a steal (btw, NONE of the stats I’m ever recording are going to make a difference anywhere) to someone when the attempt to throw down was stopped by an error. If the slowest runner on the planet (and not smartest) breaks on the pitch and dumb luck sends the ball off a pole and up the baseline, the ONLY scenario where the runner would be safe, and that is enough to get credit for a steal? Seems wrong. (Now, likely, for that girl, I’m going to give it to her because it may well be the only one ever for her.). I do have a heart.

Anyhow, I can concede the point, and I will at least be more lenient moving forward. But I’m still going to scrutinize, won’t be automatically SB. Gotta earn it.

 

[Lemond]

Epiphany moment?

As I hit post on that last reply, it dawned on me that I credit a steal to the runner when the play ends on an error (e.g., SS boots the ball), so maybe it isn’t so absurd that the runner gets the same credit when the play starts with an error?

Still seems wrong to me, but if you all buy me a drink, I may warm up to it.

 

[The Man In Blue]

... and you guys wonder why umpiring to the rulebook can be hard. At least you don't have six angry parents screaming at you.

"You're a lousy scorekeeper! What color crayon are you using?! Go back and sharpen your pencil!"

"Hey Book! You need some white out? Geez!"

"A-E-I-O-U SUCK!"

"Are you keeping that book in braille?! My daughter obviously had a home run, not a fielder's choice with six errors on the play!"

 

[Lemond]

... and you guys wonder why umpiring to the rulebook can be hard. At least you don't have six angry parents screaming at you.

"You're a lousy scorekeeper! What color crayon are you using?! Go back and sharpen your pencil!"

"Hey Book! You need some white out? Geez!"

"A-E-I-O-U SUCK!"

"Are you keeping that book in braille?! My daughter obviously had a home run, not a fielder's choice with six errors on the play!"

ROFL!!

Maybe you just can’t hear that over the din of the rest of the crowd.

Actually, the thing that makes it hard to keep book is the incessant “What’s the score? What inning is this? How many outs are there? What’s the count? When am I up? Wait what’s the score? Am I going in?”

And I score from the dugout!

 

[The Man In Blue]

... and that is all just from the coach!

 

[canyonjoe]

Epiphany moment?

As I hit post on that last reply, it dawned on me that I credit a steal to the runner when the play ends on an error (e.g., SS boots the ball), so maybe it isn’t so absurd that the runner gets the same credit when the play starts with an error?

Still seems wrong to me, but if you all buy me a drink, I may warm up to it.

If you call it an error on the SS it's not a stolen base. If it's real close and SS is trying to catch and tag quickly it's likely a SB.

 

[Lemond]

Valid point, but I bet most scorers are more lenient on errors on a stolen base attempt versus a put out attempt at first. SS throws a ball that pulls first baseman off the bag, E6. Catcher throws wide at 2, most likely, it’s a SB.