So we were playing slow pitch softball.

Runner on first, 2 outs.

Batter grounds the ball to first base.

First baseman bobbles the ball, and runs to touch the base, but is beaten by the runner. (First baseman's foot does touch the bag)

Meanwhile, runner going from first to second assumes the play is going to be an out and doesn't really try to get to second.

The first baseman, after touching first base (runner is safe) throws the ball to second base where the shortstop is on the base, but does not tag the runner. The throw beats the runner by a good two steps.


The umpire (after a conference) says that the runner is safe because no tag was made. There is no force because the first baseman took it off by touching first base.

I believe that there should still be a force, since there is a runner on base behind him.


Opinions? Hopefully I made that clear enough, it was confusing as hell when it happened.

Stepping on the base should only matter if he made the out.....I'm not an ump though.

Yep. Think the ump go it wrong

The force is still on because the batter was safe. Just as if a pop-up to right is clanked and the RFer picks up and fires to 2nd to get the base-runner.

Yeah, sounds obvious to me that the runner headed to 2nd is out.

The official MLB rule is 7.08(e):

quote:

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Any runner is out when He or the next base is tagged before he touches the next base, after he has been forced to advance by reason of the batter becoming a runner. However, if a following runner is put out on a force play, the force is removed and the runner must be tagged to be put out.

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Since the batter running to first was not out on the force play at first, the force play remains in effect for the initial base runner until such time that the opposing team tags 2nd base, tags the runner, or the runner reaches 2nd safely.

That is the Thursday rule. First baseman eliminated the force by touching first because it was Thursday.

Thursday rule only applies if both teams are drinking beer.

and the umpire