My big brother and I were talking today about baseball odds and ends. We brushed back on a play during his sons game at state this spring.
Runner on first, ground ball to pitcher, pitcher throws to SS who is straddling 2b ( not touching, close but not touching ) SS fires to 1b for the double play. "Neighborhood Rule"
I'd really never thought about it in softball, and not sure I've ever seen it called. Do any FP umps use this? Has anyone even seen it used in FP?
Easy copied/pasted explanation of Neighborhood rule:
The traditional application of the neighborhood play for an out developed because it is common for a sliding runner to collide with the fielder at second base, sometimes causing injury. On a double play attempt, the fielder must throw the ball to first base, which would generally require a step directly into the path of the incoming runner. On a close force out at second, a fielder often cannot avoid a collision while completing a throw to first base unless he stays some distance away from second base. For the sake of safety, umpires allowed fielders to score the first out of an attempted double play without actually touching second base as long as it "looked like" an out, i.e. the fielder made a clean catch, turn, and throw near second base before the runner arrived. This allowed the tradition of the take-out slide to continue while still providing a means of safety for middle infielders.
Runner on first, ground ball to pitcher, pitcher throws to SS who is straddling 2b ( not touching, close but not touching ) SS fires to 1b for the double play. "Neighborhood Rule"
I'd really never thought about it in softball, and not sure I've ever seen it called. Do any FP umps use this? Has anyone even seen it used in FP?
Easy copied/pasted explanation of Neighborhood rule:
The traditional application of the neighborhood play for an out developed because it is common for a sliding runner to collide with the fielder at second base, sometimes causing injury. On a double play attempt, the fielder must throw the ball to first base, which would generally require a step directly into the path of the incoming runner. On a close force out at second, a fielder often cannot avoid a collision while completing a throw to first base unless he stays some distance away from second base. For the sake of safety, umpires allowed fielders to score the first out of an attempted double play without actually touching second base as long as it "looked like" an out, i.e. the fielder made a clean catch, turn, and throw near second base before the runner arrived. This allowed the tradition of the take-out slide to continue while still providing a means of safety for middle infielders.