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The Umpire Corner

14U Girls ASA Hesitation or Look Back Rule Details?

Rule question? Get it answered here.

by crwiseman » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:33 pm

I had a technical question for you about a play and subsequent call I witnessed the other day. Here goes: No outs, runner on third, batter gets walked and as she approaches the first base coach he gives her the continuation (to 2B) sign, being young and inexperienced, she took a turn of about 4-6 feet towards 2B, lost her confidence and then went immediately back to 1B. The pitcher already had the ball in the circle before the runner got to first base, the umpire called the runner out as "she hesitated".

I don't think that was correct, I believe she would've been out if she hesitated THEN continued on to steal 2B. In the scenario I described above, the only way she could've been called out at 1B was if she turned left after hitting 1B and the first baseman happened to tag her as she turned left.
crwiseman
 
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by MTR » Mon Apr 15, 2013 4:37 am

crwiseman wrote:No outs, runner on third, batter gets walked and as she approaches the first base coach he gives her the continuation (to 2B) sign, being young and inexperienced, she took a turn of about 4-6 feet towards 2B, lost her confidence and then went immediately back to 1B. The pitcher already had the ball in the circle before the runner got to first base, the umpire called the runner out as "she hesitated".


To start, there is no such thing as a "hesitation" rule in ASA and probably a good idea to drop the reference as other orgs have such a rule and I believe it isn't exactly the same as the LBR.

I don't think that was correct, I believe she would've been out if she hesitated THEN continued on to steal 2B. In the scenario I described above, the only way she could've been called out at 1B was if she turned left after hitting 1B and the first baseman happened to tag her as she turned left.


Any runner is allowed one "stop" once the LBR goes into effect. However, once that stop is make, the runner must "immediately" decide to return to the last base, are advance to the next base, non-stop in either case. The timing and definition of "immediately" is purely left to the umpire's judgment. At 1B, it is usually a beat longer to allow the runner to locate the ball to make sure it is in the circle.

BTW, there is no "speed" or direction the player may be facing that affects this rule. The runner could go full tilt or calmly walk, even backwards, as long as her body his going to a base.
MTR
 
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