I've umpired hundreds of baseball games. I've seen thousands of games on all levels. I've never seen a base runner score from 2nd on a dropped third strike.
Dropped third strike
- Thread starter Swimcat20
- Start date
What an amazing play! I've already re-watched this numerous times. BTW, it's around the 7:15 mark of this video. You just have to love this team's aggressiveness!
I’ve never really understood the reason it’s a rule to start w and not just a live ball out….but I sure am glad it’s a rule bc we’ve taken advantage of it in back to back games
Granted college baseball is a much much higher level than local 13-15yo baseball. But when I was 15 I was a decent pitcher (had finished the last half of my Soph yr on my HS Varsity team's pitching rotation going 2-2), then playing in the local rec league team when HS season ended, I struck out a batter (dropped 3rd strike) with 2 outs and a runner on 1st who was stealing on the pitch. Catcher picked up the dropped strike 3 and threw it over the 1B head to try and get the batter out, allowing the runner who was stealing 2nd to score all the way from 1B on a dropped third strike.
To top it off, we lost that game 1-0, that being the only run. Actually, it was also a 1-hitter, the kid who led off the game tripled but did not score & was the only hit. The runner stealing 2nd that scored had gotten on by an error in the field.
A different game that season I had a 4 strikeout inning (same catcher couldn't catch my low slider).
I once umpired a game that had ten strikeouts in an inning. The poor kid playing catcher could not catch that third strike to save his life.
I've seen it a ton of times. Normally at the 10-12u levels with short basepaths and big backstops.
Now what I have never seen in my life is the "offensive conference". I've saw it for the first time over the weekend and it was multiple times. I have never even heard of that.
Now what I have never seen in my life is the "offensive conference". I've saw it for the first time over the weekend and it was multiple times. I have never even heard of that.
I have. Catcher lost and then kicked the ball. Hit-n-run was on, runner slid head first into third. Got up and ran home when the catcher kicked the ball
Every out requires the D to possess the ball securely at the point of that out. It's why the C gets credited with the PO on a K.
Yeah. I understand the technicality of it. Just the theory behind “possess the ball securely at the point of an out” applying to non fielding plays becoming a rule has never really made sense to me since it’s a clear “third strike” when swinging when it’s a non hit/fielding scenario. If anything, a dropped 3rd strike being treated as a foul ball makes more sense.
Not arguing either way…it’s been that way forever so no need to change it now…just always been one of those nuances that I’ve found interesting.
I wonder if they leave that stuff in just to make sure the players and managers really do know the rules. IIRC, the white Sox C (A.J. hard-to-spell) got on base after a strikeout in a similar situation in the World Series.
A passed ball on third strike is live even if the batter swings and misses. So what otherwise would be a strikeout if the ball is caught ended up in a run scored because the pitcher forgot to cover the plate.
Not a common occurrence, but would a dropped third strike cost a pitcher a perfect game?
I would assume so, if a perfect game is “27 up and 27 down.”
If the runner is put out before reaching 1B by a tag or force, still perfect. No runner reached base. If he makes 1B, then yes. Just like a fielding error.
Mental mistakes are not errors. Plus, you can't assume the runner would have been out had he covered. Misjudging a fly and not touching it is not an error either.
Possibly, but if a player reaches then gets tossed out as part of a double play, the perfect game would still be intact.
