November 3, 2010
Solving traffic jams on the basepaths
by Rich Marazzi/
Just ask Victor Martinez: If two runners are caught on the same base, the trailing runner is called out.
Whenever two runners are parked on the same base we have a traffic jam that usually ends up resembling a burlesque of our national pastime. If both are tagged, the lead runner has the right to the base unless he is forced to advance and the following runner is out per rule 7.03.
The Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays played at Fenway Park on Sept. 8 when a scene resembling Abbott and Costello’s classic “Who’s on First?” took shape.
David Ortiz was batting in the bottom of the sixth with Eric Patterson on third and Victor Martinez on second. There were no outs and the Sox were leading, 8-5.
“Big Papi” hit a hard grounder to Rays’ second baseman Ben Zobrist, who was playing in on the grass. Seeing Patterson break for home, Zobrist ran at him before throwing to catcher John Jaso, who ran Patterson back to third base where he was met by Martinez. Jaso tagged both runners and third-base umpire Jim Wolff correctly ruled Martinez, the back runner, out.
To avoid confusion between the runners, Wolff used excellent mechanics by pointing to Martinez that he was the runner who was out. But Patterson wasn’t listening. Apparently unaware that he had the right to the base since he was the lead runner and wasn’t forced to advance, he exited the base and ran toward home. Jaso threw to pitcher Randy Choate, who was between home and third and Choate tagged Patterson to complete the bizarre double play. Ortiz took second on the fielder’s-choice twin killing.
It is fairly common that two runners end up occupying third base. A wise defensive player will tag both runners in case the wrong runner leaves the base. Hey, he can even tag the ump! Only kidding. If the runner who has the right to the base vacates and he is tagged, the defense has pulled off a neat double play, which is what happened in the above case.
It is my opinion that in many cases this can be avoided if the third-base coach identifies one of the runners on the base as the “unwanted runner,” meaning which one of the two he would not want on third base should both be tagged.
In the above play, I would assume that Patterson, because of his speed, would be the runner that the Red Sox would want to remain alive and Martinez, the slower of the two, would be the “unwanted runner.” Therefore, it is my opinion that third-base coach, Tim Bogar, if possible, should have sent Martinez back to second base with the intention of getting into a rundown. If there is a quick tag made on the “unwanted runner” off the base, there is no harm since you still have the desired runner on base when the smoke clears. It’s possible that Bogar judged that Patterson was going to be tagged out on his return to the base and was reluctant to do anything with Martinez. But the moment they were both on third base, I would have sent Martinez back to second base and forced the rundown.
Players and coaches on all levels should view the offensive side of rundowns in a positive way since five things can happen in a rundown and four are good. The only negative is that the runner is tagged out and there is no further advance by any other runner. The positives include: (1) The runner escapes the rundown and remains alive on base; (2) The defensive team throws the ball wildly or muffs the ball and all runners advance; (3) The runner in the rundown keeps the play going which always creates the possibility of other runners advancing; and (4) The defensive team commits obstruction, allowing an automatic award of at least the next base since there is a play being made directly on the runner.
By allowing two runners to stand on the same base with both getting tagged, the offensive team is walking into an automatic out and if the wrong runner gets off the base and is tagged such as Patterson was, you now have a double play.
I believe in challenging the defensive team by keeping the action going. With some luck there’s a chance that the offensive team might end up with no outs on the play and the possibility of a run scoring.
Playing under NFHS and NCAA rules, all obstruction calls are delayed dead balls. Under Pro rules, when a runner is obstructed while a play is being made on him such as a rundown, the ball is dead immediately and the runner is awarded his next base. If a throw is made prior to the act of obstruction and the ball goes into dead-ball territory, all runners would be awarded two bases from the last base they legally touched before the throw. Let’s say in the above play Bogar held Patterson at third and sent Martinez back to second and he got obstructed in a rundown. Martinez would be sent to third and Patterson would be bumped home and score. If during the rundown, the Rays threw the ball into dead-ball territory, Martinez and Patterson both would score since all runners are awarded two bases when a fielder fires the ball into dead-ball territory.
In many cases when two runners end up on third base, the play begins with a ground ball to the pitcher or an infielder and the runner on third breaks too early and ends up getting chased back to third by the catcher. If Patterson was the runner on second and Martinez was the runner on third in this play, Martinez should be encouraged by the third base coach to stay in the rundown between third and home to buy time for Patterson advancing from second to third. Again, Martinez could possibly pick up an obstruction call or the defensive team might make an errant throw, which can open the floodgates.
Red Sox third-base coach DeMarlo Hale did a good job directing traffic at Safeco Field in Seattle, where the Red Sox and Mariners played on Aug. 3, 2007. In the first inning, Mike Lowell delivered a run-scoring single with the bases loaded. On the play, Manny Ramirez raced from first to third only to find Kevin Youkilis there. Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre proceeded to tag both runners and Ramirez, the back runner, was called out. Lowell took second on the throw. After both runners were tagged, Hale properly instructed Youkilis to remain on the base by pointing to him.
If Hale sent Ramirez back to second to initiate a rundown, I just wonder what the outcome might have been. It would probably be the same, but I say take a chance by keeping the action alive. When the “unwanted runner” is in a rundown, the pressure is now on the defense to execute.
Rich Marazzi is the rules consultant for the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians and Astros. If you have a rules question, e-mail him at Rtmarazzi@aol.com.
