Look back rule violation?

[42'sdad]

Here's the situation. Runner on 3rd, batter gets walked. Catcher gets ball back to pitcher and pitcher watches the batter round 1st base and head to 2nd in a trot. Runner on 3rd is standing off of 3rd waiting for the pitcher to make a play on the batter. Pitcher makes the play at 2nd and gets the out. Is the runner on 3rd in violation of the look back rule because she stood there and never attempted to advance or go back?

 

[ignition]

I would say yes so long as the pitcher didn't do a pump fake with the ball or something similar. I'm no expert though.

 

[Comp]

If the pitcher has the ball in the circle and is not making any attempt to play on any of the runners, the moment the batter/runner touches 1st the runner at 3rd must immediatly advance or return to 3rd. If not they are in violation of the lookback rule.

 

[coachkurtis]

We are going to provincials in a week and have worked on this. In our rules it states that once the pitcher has control of the ball in the circle the runners must immediately make a choice, to advance or go back(not on the pitching plate just inside the circle.). Its been horrible all year on this call and have voiced my opinion to umpires many times. I have been working a play to take the walk out if she steals 2nd base. The key here is that runner on three doesn't leave early. If so its hard to get the double at home which is what we are looking for. U14C.

 

[Umpire]

When the look-back rule violation occurs, the ball is dead, the violator is out and all other runners return to the base held at the time of the dead ball. It is not possible to get a double play when the look-back rule itself is in effect.

In most cases, R3 just stands off of 3rd base while the pitcher does nothing and the batter trots to 2nd. Once the batter reaches 1st, R3 must immediately go back or forward (when the rule is in effect).

If you're referring to getting the batter going to 2nd out and R3 coming home after that out, all the luck to ya.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

The easy way to remember this is that a walk is treated the same way as a hit. As others have pointed out the LBR doesn't go into effect until the batter reaches first.

That's how I explained it to my girls.

 

[Ajaywill]

Here's the situation. Runner on 3rd, batter gets walked. Catcher gets ball back to pitcher and pitcher watches the batter round 1st base and head to 2nd in a trot. Runner on 3rd is standing off of 3rd waiting for the pitcher to make a play on the batter. Pitcher makes the play at 2nd and gets the out. Is the runner on 3rd in violation of the look back rule because she stood there and never attempted to advance or go back?

This depends on the timing of the play to second base. If the batter-runner is moving slowly toward second and the pitcher is doing nothing but looking at her, then the out call on the runner at third is probably valid.

 

[MTR]

This depends on the timing of the play to second base. If the batter-runner is moving slowly toward second and the pitcher is doing nothing but looking at her, then the out call on the runner at third is probably valid.

Well, if the pitcher waited that long to make a play at 2nd on a slow moving runner, I don't see how that could not be a violation. Then again, a softball field is one place where weird things do happen.