Official Rules of Baseball: Leaving Base Before Ball is Caught

Whether playing baseball or softball, or even kickball, there is a situation that comes up once every blue moon involving bobbled or juggled fly balls with runners on base. Occasionally, a fielder will display a severe case of butterfingers and will end up having the ball bounce on his shoulders, chest, and head before he/she is able to secure the ball for an official catch. The ongoing controversy during these juggled balls is with the base runners. The question is this: If a base runner is on 3^rd base, can he tag up and run home immediately after the fielder first touches the ball? Or, does the base runner have to wait until the fielder secures the catch before tagging and running to home? Unfortunately, many players, spectators, and even some umpires, seem to think that the baserunner has to wait for the ball to be caught before tagging and advancing to the next base. Due to most people not carrying a rule book with them to every game, this situation can cause long and frustrating arguments. All too often, more people are in the wrong with this argument, so even a perfectly knowledgeable baseball player may get "outvoted" during these debates.

Please don't be one of those guys that argues about a rule that you know nothing about! Listen, the rule is that the runner CAN leave base immediately after the ball is first TOUCHED by a fielder. You do not have to wait until the fielder CATCHES the ball! As long as the runner is tagging the base, then he/she is free to take off as soon as that ball is touched. Period. Case closed!

Not buying it? OK, if this seems unbelievable to you, perhaps you can check out a Major League Baseball game on TV. In many games, you will see instances of "sacrifice flies," wherein the batter hits a long fly ball that is caught for an out; however, the ball is hit so deep, that a baserunner that is on 3^rd base can easily tag up on 3^rd and trot to home plate after the ball is caught. Even the strongest arms are usually no defense for a sacrifice fly hit to the wall. With that being said, why don't we EVER see a professional baseball player "bobble" a fly ball on purpose? These players are talented and have caught THOUSANDS of balls during their lifetime. It would not be very difficult for them to purposely bobble a ball and bat the ball forward over and over again while walking toward the infield. In essence, a player could bobble and juggle the ball all the way to the infield before finally "securing" the catch. By doing this, the baserunner would be stuck on 3^rd base, as he is waiting for the ball to finally be caught before he can run to home plate. OK, sounds like a great idea, right? Especially for those outfielders with weak arms! Well, if it's such a great idea, then how come you have NEVER seen a professional baseball player utilize this technique in the past 50 years? Are you stumped? The answer is simple, my friend. They don't utilize this strategy because this strategy is USELESS! They don't utilize this strategy because they are fully aware that the baserunner does not have to wait for them to secure the ball. The baserunner is leaving base immediately after the ball is initially touched!

Still not sold? OK, go to www.mlb.com and click on the "official rules" section. In section 2.00, under "CATCH," it reads "A catch is legal if the ball is finally held by any fielder, even though juggled, or held by another fielder before it touches the ground. Runners may leave their bases the instant the first fielder touches the ball."

This comes from the official rule book of Major League Baseball, folks! Still not sold?? Well, if you're still not sold, then you probably never will be, so keep on arguing to your heart's content! Play ball!