Delay/"Lookback"

Picture this situation:

Ball is hit for a single to of. Batter/base runner runs past first, turns toward second and slowly makes her way back to first. Before she reaches first, the ss and 2nd base walk the ball toward the circle, one of them hands the ball to pitcher, leaving 2nd un-defended. Runner, who has not yet returned to first, advances to second.

I believe that the runner can advance whether the ball is in the circle or not as long as she has not yet returned to first. Correct?

Second: I fully expect umpires and parents to not understand this situation and I expect umpires will call the base runner out. Would you think the same? How would you handle this when it happens?

So, the runner was walking back toward first base, and hadn't got back and touched it yet, when the pitcher received the ball?

Once the pitcher has the ball the Look Back Rule goes into effect. The runner then has a couple of options. She may stop ONCE in between the bases. She also may reverse direction ONCE. After that she must procede directly to the next base or retreat to the prvious one without stopping or reversing direction a second time.

It sounds like that's what this runner did. She reversed direction one time and headed directly to the next base. Legal advancement.

The look back rule doesn't say she can change direction once.

It says:

"the runner may stop once, but then must immediately return to the base or attempt to advance to the next base."

The closest the rulebook comes to covering your situation is this:


"A batter-runner who rounds first base toward second base may stop once, but then must immediately non-stop return to first base or attempt to advance non-stop to second base."

But it doesn't cover if they are already headed back to first when the ball enters the circle, if they are still entitled to stop once and immediately go to second.

grmerrill said:

The look back rule doesn't say she can change direction once.

It says:

"the runner may stop once, but then must immediately return to the base or attempt to advance to the next base."

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After the one allowable stop, the runner has to go either forward or backward to the next or previous base. Depending on which direction she was heading when she stopped, that can be a reversal of direction. And she can only do that once.

What happens before the ball gets to the pitcher in the circle is irrelevant.

The rule goes into effect when the ball is returned to the pitcher in the circle and the batter-runner has reached first base.

If the runner is off a base and moving in any direction when the rule goes into effect, she is allowed one stop, then must immediately (umpire judgment) go one way or the other and is not allowed another stop.
If the runner is off the base and not moving when the rule goes into effect, she must immediately (umpire judgment) go one way or the other and is not allowed another stop. If the runner is on a base when the rule goes into effect, she may not leave that base.

If the pitcher does something to turn the look back rule off, like making a play on a runner or taking the ball out of the circle, all restrictions on all runners are off.

What happens if the pitcher has the ball in her glove but makes a move as to give the appearance that she is going to make a play? Is the look back rule off at that point or is it still on because the ball is in her glove and not her throwing hand? My understanding is that if the pitcher makes a move to make a play then it is off. You can't make a play if the ball is in the glove so not sure it would be off.

Rockjerry said:

What happens if the pitcher has the ball in her glove but makes a move as to give the appearance that she is going to make a play? Is the look back rule off at that point or is it still on because the ball is in her glove and not her throwing hand? My understanding is that if the pitcher makes a move to make a play then it is off. You can't make a play if the ball is in the glove so not sure it would be off.

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The LBR is suspended if the pitcher makes, or fakes, a play.

An actual throw is an obvious example of "making a play". So if making a throw suspends the rule, so does faking a throw. For the example you give, I would call that faking a throw and that releases the runner.

Good discussion.

I do not think I explained this as well as I could have. In my example above, the batter runner has merely over ran 1st, turned around and began slowly moving back to first, no actual move toward second, she has not "rounded" the base. She doesn't stop. The way it was explained to me, the runner turns or does her about face toward second. I can't think of any reason it matters which way she turns but that was the way it was explained to me.

I'm thinking of this as a pre planned play. Does anyone have the feeling that this situation is ripe for a bad call? I picture the ump not realizing she did not go back to first. I think in an ideal world, the runner leaves before the ball is in the circle.

Any type of fake or deception puts off the LBR. Even if they fake a throw with an empty hand...

Westwind said:

Good discussion.

I do not think I explained this as well as I could have. In my example above, the batter runner has merely over ran 1st, turned around and began slowly moving back to first, no actual move toward second, she has not "rounded" the base. She doesn't stop. The way it was explained to me, the runner turns or does her about face toward second. I can't think of any reason it matters which way she turns but that was the way it was explained to me.

I'm thinking of this as a pre planned play. Does anyone have the feeling that this situation is ripe for a bad call? I picture the ump not realizing she did not go back to first. I think in an ideal world, the runner leaves before the ball is in the circle.

Click to expand...

Again, until the ball is in the pitcher's possession, with both feet inside or on the circle, all action is irrelevant. If the runner broke toward 2nd prior to the LBR becoming effective, she has not yet violated any rule.