look back rule on ball 4

[MTR]

LBR is black and white. Protests rules can be all over the place, should be in writing though.

Apparently, not to all. Than again, I am a fan of dumping this useless rule.

 

[testandor]

Apparently, not to all. Than again, I am a fan of dumping this useless rule.

Why? It's just like any other base running rule. Pitcher has the ball in the circle, runners have to commit to going forward or back. Gotta get to a bag and stay there.

 

[The Man In Blue]

It’s not as difficult as people make it. Lots of moving parts, but not that difficult. I think many of the problems come with the convoluted and overly-verbose wording.

 

[MTR]

Why? It's just like any other base running rule. Pitcher has the ball in the circle, runners have to commit to going forward or back. Gotta get to a bag and stay there.

Which is exactly what happens if you kill the ball when all apparent play is complete

 

[ArmWhip]

So if a runner is standing 10ft off second base and the pitcher doesn't want to make a throw what happens, the ump calls time?

 

[MTR]

So if a runner is standing 10ft off second base and the pitcher doesn't want to make a throw what happens, the ump calls time?

If there is no apparent play, yep. Happens thousands of times a day in the SP game with no issue

 

[ArmWhip]

To not have the 'look back' would slow the game down. My pitchers would stare at the runner to make sure she didn't take off for the next base. The umpire, at some point, would have to make a decision that the staredown had gone far enough and call time. Or you would have runners juking back and forth and pitchers faking throws on every pitch. I have enough trouble now keeping my pitchers and catchers from chasing the runner back instead of letting the 'look back' do it for them.

 

[Big Daddy Michigan]

And for those that want the citation ...

Rule 8 - Batter runner and runner
Section 7 -The runner is out
T. (Fast pitch) LOOK BACK RULE The “Look Back” rule shall be in effect for all runners when:

1) The ball is live.
2) The batter-runner has reached first base or has been declared out.
3) The pitcher has possession and control of the ball within the pitcher’s circle. The pitcher is considered to be in the pitcher’s circle when both feet are on or within the lines.

I have a question on the wording, not the rule... If the look back goes into effect when the batter is out or reaches first what happens if it's only ball 1? Is there a separate rule for when the batter isn't involved? I see this says "Batter and runner" so is there a "runner is out section"?

 

[The Man In Blue]

Rule 8 is all of the sections which encompass rules for the batter runner and (base) runners. Most people don’t realize there are only about a dozen “rules” in any rule book. Everything else falls into sections, subsections, etc.

Those sections (1, 2, and 3) are three separate instances of when LBR is in effect — not a “1, 2, and 3 must all be met at the same time”. (Though that wording is rather confusing since it stars with “the ball must be live”.)

The answer to your question is in A (just below where your quote was cut):

(A) When a Runner is legitimately off a base after a pitch or as a result of a batter completing a turn at bat, and while the pitcher has control of the ball within the eight foot radius of the pitcher’s plate, the runner may stop once then must immediately return to the base or attempt to advance to the next base.

 

[MTR]

To not have the 'look back' would slow the game down. My pitchers would stare at the runner to make sure she didn't take off for the next base. The umpire, at some point, would have to make a decision that the staredown had gone far enough and call time. Or you would have runners juking back and forth and pitchers faking throws on every pitch. I have enough trouble now keeping my pitchers and catchers from chasing the runner back instead of letting the 'look back' do it for them.

Actually, it would speed up the game. There is no BS as you are suggesting.. When all obvious play is finished, the umpires call time and you move on with the game.

This occurs in the SP game thousands of times a day. They play the same amount of inning, score 10 to 30 times the amount of runs and are still done in nearly half the time the FP game takes.