Force play
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In
A runner at
Explanation
A forced runner's "force base" is the next base beyond his time-of-pitch base. Any play in which there is a successful attempt made by fielders to put a forced runner out is a force play.
The forced runners can be compared to bumper cars. If, with a runner on first, the batter hits a ground ball, the batter may run to first, and since two runners are not allowed to stay on one base at one time, the runner who was on first to begin with is now bumped by the advancing batter over to second. If there already was a runner on second as well, that runner is now bumped over to third, and if the bases are loaded (i.e., there are runners on all three bases) then the runner on third must attempt to reach home plate. If a runner is bumped over to the next base by the advancing batter or by another runner who was bumped by the advancing batter, then that runner is considered to have been forced to advance to the next base. If however, with a runner on third, for example, the batter hits a ground ball, the batter may run to first, but the runner on third, not having been bumped by the batter, is not forced to advance and can stay where they are if they elect to do so.[1]
Force plays, or force outs, are one of the two ways to get a runner out on a ground ball. For a fielder to get a forced runner out, he must, while possessing a batted fair ball, either (1) touch the base to which the forced runner must advance before the forced runner does so, or (2) tag that runner before the runner touches that base. For example, with a runner on first, the batter hits a ground ball to the second baseman. The runner on first is forced to second. The second baseman can record an out by touching second base while possessing the ball or by tagging the runner before the runner touches second base.
Removing the force
A force on a runner is "removed" when the batter or a following runner (in other words, any runner behind him on the base-paths) is put out. This most often happens on
For force outs resulting from neighborhood plays, see the highlighted link.
Scoring on force outs
No
An appeal play may also be a force play; for example, with runners on first and third bases and two out, the batter gets a hit but the runner from first misses second base on the way to third. After a proper appeal, this runner will be called out. This is a force out because the runner was out for failing to touch a base to which he was forced; this force out is the third out ,and thus the run does not score. However, most appeals are not forced plays, because they usually do not involve a forced runner.
Tagging up is not equivalent to being forced
It is not a force out when a runner is put out while trying to tag up after a caught fly ball. Because this out is similar to a true force out in that the runner can be put out by a fielder possessing the ball at the base that the runner needs to reach, there is a widespread misconception that this out is a force out. But it is not, which means the run would count if it scored before the third out is made on a runner trying to tag up.
See also
- Fielder's choice
- Double play
- Fourth out
- Run out, a similar event in cricket
References
- ^ a b Baseball Explained by Phillip Mahony, McFarland Books, 2014. See www.baseballexplained.com Archived August 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
External links