Line drive - no outs

[Coachmark78]

Runner on 1st. No outs. Line drive to first. 1st baseman drops ball. 1st base runner goes back to first. 1st baseman tags first but not runner. Runner goes back 1st but not tagged.

Can base runner go back to 1st?

 

[chinamigarden]

Yes. The batter runner, out at first removed the force and the runner can return to first.

 

[canyonjoe]

Now if fielder tagged runner first then stepped on 1st it's a DP.

 

[quincy]

Yes, something similar happened in White Sox game a couple days ago. Not sure why but it caused mass confusion. Ended up calling new york to figure it out.

 

[625ender]

A heads up 3rd base coach will catch that on a runner trying to score when the bases are loaded

 

[CoachJD]

Others have answered it, but look at it this way: The rules are logical (at least most of them are). The idea of a force out, is, well, the player is literally forced to go to the next base because someone else (in this example, the batter-runner) is coming to take the base she's on. If the batter-runner is put out, then the runner is literally not forced to run anymore, so she can go back to first if she wants.

Most of the rules, at least the basic ones, are really easy to figure out if you just think about what's happening and why.