Timing plays in HS Baseball

[Pirate84]

Saw a play called as a "timing play" last night I'm a tournament game. Situation was runners at 1st & 2nd two outs. Batter strikes out in curve in the dirt that bounces away from catcher who retrieves it throws the runner out(by force) by 2 steps. Inning over correct??? As teams prepare for next inning umps converge & state" that is a timing play the run counts". Have researched this & a dropped third stike is still a force out & is NEVER a timing play. Any thoughts?

[eagles73Taylor]

The runner on 2nd must have been flying to beat the force at 1st! lol You figure a good secondary lead would put you halfway down the line, so he ran 135 feet before the batter ran 90! I have no other comment as I dont know the rule.

[danicalifornia]

Well, I had a play where a kid crossed home plate before the batter was thrown out at first on a ground out to end the inning and the HP ump tried to say that the run counted because of that.

I just shook my head and didn't count it in my book (since it doesn't count, clearly) and would have only said something if it was a closer game.

I'm pretty sure that it is the same as what the original poster mentioned.

[The Flush]

The umps in the OP screwed that one up. That is not a timing play. If the 3rd out is on the batter/runner before he reaches 1st base (which is what is described), no runs can score even if the runner from 2nd or 3rd touches home an hour before the 3rd out at first.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions in the Ask the Umpire forum at umpire-empire.com, which is a great source of information.

[jkumpire]

Flush is right, this is defined as a 'Force play', not a Time play. Because the batter struck out he had to reach 1B safely to score the run (i.e. he was forced to beat the throw to 1B or not get tagged). Since he was forced to go to 1B and didn't make it, he is out and no run scores. there are other force plays that are different than time plays that can negate runs. Almost all of them are appeal plays of one type or another.

[Farmer Yoder]

You guys are missing some key points. First in my book it is a timing play with a caveat. The runner on second must take a five dollar bill from the third base coach on the way home. If he hands the cash to me before the throw to first is completed then the Run counts. Lots of young umps haven’t figured this one out.