Bottom of the 9th, two outs, bases loaded, full count.....

[XNASA]

And you're the catcher.

The batter swings and misses...strike three. But the ball gets away from you. Bounces about 10 for 12 feet away. The batter starts running toward first.

What is the correct play?

[motely36]

1. Step on home plate?

[ulysses]

2. throw down to first.

Quick like.

[ewagner]

3. Step on home plate.

My instinct would be to throw to first....but I'd have to overcome it.

[matcom]

4. throw batter out at first

[MN ChimpH8R]

5. Step on home

automatic force.

[MnFats]

6. tag the runner, or throw to first.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Do nothing

If it's strike 3 the game is over

[progmom]

10. not on a dropped third strike

[GOPisEvil]

8. Throw to the pitcher, who had BETTER be covering home.

;)

[XNASA]

14. Dusty must go.

[GOPisEvil]

16. THREE pitchers can't cover 1st!

Don't they teach that in spring training? Sweet Sister Sadie...

[XNASA]

17. The entire infield, except for Lee, is clueless.

Even after Barrett threw the ball down to Ramierez at third (a really, really stupid play).... all that Rameirez had to do was step on 3rd.

But guess what? Ramierez was about 10 feet off of the bag. Why? What was he doing? He was standing around doing nothing. Nobody will take charge. It's a joke. The Cubs looked like a bad Little League team yesterday.

:cry:

[progmom]

9. step on home plate

:shrug:

[BeyondGeography]

11. If the runner scores

before you throw the batter out at first, it doesn't do you any good. So you might want to hedge your bets, flip the ball to that pitcher who is hopefully now covering home plate, and get that fucker out at home.

[dajoki]

12. the play is at home plate

:applause:

[XNASA]

13. The correct answer....run the guy on 3rd back to third.

Anyone catch the end of the Cubs-Phillies games last night?

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-cub04.html

Sorry...I had to change my answer. My first answer...forceout at home...was wrong.

[kick-ass-bob]

15. if bases are empty, you need to throw someone out. But, if there are MoB

(men on base) I don't think you need to do anything except shake the pitcher's hand.

Is that not right?

[XNASA]

18. Only if the batter doesn't start running to first.

But he did. So somebody has to make a play.

This is in reference to the Cubs-Phillies game last night. It actually happened and the Cubs blew it. It was sick.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. I Heard Harold Reynolds on ESPN. . .

. . .analyze the play differently. He said because there was only one out, the hitter is not entitled to first base when the bases are loaded. So, there's no force at home. The correct play, according to him, was to do nothing. The hitter would be out at first, because the runner who was already there was entitled to that bag.

I had not known that rule until he explained it today. I thought the ball was live on a dropped third strike.
The Professor

[kick-ass-bob]

20. this is what I was thinking.

Because I have seen before that someone starts running with someone on first, and the catcher does nothing. The umpire then rules the batter out.

I have seen this happen on many more than one occasion.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. I Was Confused

I thought all Barrett had to do was step on home, but Harold said it was more complicated because the bases were loaded and only one out. Like i said, i didn't know there was any such rule. Maybe i didn't hear it exactly, but he did say the right thing to do was nothing.
The Professor

[XNASA]

25. That's not right either.

The batter striking out with only 1 out...made 2 outs.

But runners may advance at their own risk at anytime. And that's what Rollins did. He advanced to score. But there were no forceouts.

[XNASA]

22. Now I get it. There could be no forceouts, no matter what.

With first base occupied, the batter cannot advance...but...

Runners may try to advance at their own risk. No forceouts would be possible.

Still....Barrett should have run Rollins back to 3rd. It was stupid no matter how you look at it.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. No Argument There!

All he had to do was hold the ball, and they had the 2nd out. Throwing it was stupid! Since the runner on third couldn't go if Barrett was standing there with the ball, the other runners had nowhere to go either. Same as an ordinary strikeout. But, NO! At least he admitted he screwed up.
The Professor

[kick-ass-bob]

26. I see now, too.

:thumbsup: on the clarification.

:thumbsdown: on the play.

[ballabosh]

27. Rule

Actually the correct rule is the batter can advance to first when the bag is unnocupied and less than two outs (when the batter came to the plate). He can advance with first base occupied if there are two outs when he came to the plate, at which point there would be force plays at the other bases.

But in this case, with one out, he could not advance, and the other runners could advance at their own risk, but no force.

[leftofthedial]

24. make sure the runner on third does not attempt to score

before the ump calls the batter out

then head for the high-fives and hand-shaking line.

[Susang]

28. Hedda Gabler?

:shrug:

Well, what did you expect, I was a theatre major. :P