#4. @media (min-width:768px){.ggWmAj{max-height:60px;padding:16px 32px 16px 24px;}}/*!sc*/ 16. fastpitch is right ANY dropped 3rd strike swinging or not counts as a dropped 3rd. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-medium-it.woff2') format('woff2'), url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-medium-it.woff') format('woff');font-weight:500;font-style:italic;}/*!sc*/ a{background-color:transparent;}/*!sc*/ Also, if any base comes loose from its fastening when any runner contacts it, such runner cannot be tagged out because the base slides away from him. @media (min-width:1024px){.blLcNM .content{grid-column:1 / span 8;}.blLcNM .content .share-btn{-webkit-align-self:flex-end;-ms-flex-item-align:end;align-self:flex-end;margin-bottom:16px;top:0;}}/*!sc*/ No longer could wily catchers try to get free outs. Runner(s) will be awarded appropriate base(s) per umpires judgment. Malicious contact always supersedes obstruction. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner{width:100%;display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ Cmon, you know the words. .jDETbc{font-family:"proxima-nova","open Sans","Helvetica","Arial",sans-serif;font-size:40px;color:#222222;margin:0;}/*!sc*/ .ggWmAj{background:#ffffff;box-shadow:0 2px 4px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.2);max-height:64px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 16px;position:fixed;top:0;width:100%;z-index:2;}/*!sc*/ Upon contact, the batter attempts to run around and complete a circuit of bases while the fielders attempt to get him out.\n\nHere's the crucial difference between _ball mit freystten_ and the game we know and love: There were no walks or strikeouts.\n\nThe pitcher, as it were, stood five or six steps from the batter and delivered high, arching tosses intended to induce contact. The strikeout victim had reached first base. How a Smart Baserunner Can Exploit the Basepath Rules, MLB Postseason Riddled with Rules Controversies, Rodger Clemens explains his Pitching Delivery, First Baseman Positioning with Runner on Base. data-styled.g143[id="Styles__SocialContainer-sc-1h38xz1-0"]{content:"blLcNM,"}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-item--mobile-quick-nav .header__nav-top__nav-item--inner{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-pack:start;justify-content:flex-start;height:100%;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g139[id="Styles__ContributorContainer-sc-9g3k0d-0"]{content:"dLQAwR,"}/*!sc*/ Passing the , Umpires are human so sometimes they make calls that make no sense, like calling an Infield Fly with no runner at 2B. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav__item{color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-size:14px;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}/*!sc*/ New rules confined outs on fair balls to catches on the fly, not on one bounce. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--parent[aria-expanded='true'] .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner a,.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--parent[aria-expanded='true'] .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner span{color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ .epHHrr.youtube iframe{max-width:100%;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g122[id="Styles__HeadlineContainer-sc-19rm04l-0"]{content:"dMKvOx,"}/*!sc*/ .drUhS rect{fill:#000000;stroke:#000000;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__button.account--logged-in::after{background:none;bottom:-17px;content:'';height:22px;left:auto;right:7px;opacity:0;position:absolute;-webkit-transform:rotate(45deg);-ms-transform:rotate(45deg);transform:rotate(45deg);-webkit-transition:opacity 100ms ease 100ms;transition:opacity 100ms ease 100ms;width:22px;}/*!sc*/ When the first base is abandoned or there are two outs, a dropped third strike may matter. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item .icon__subnav-arrow{-webkit-transform:rotate(-90deg);-ms-transform:rotate(-90deg);transform:rotate(-90deg);margin-right:0;width:11px;height:11px;float:none;}/*!sc*/ .fuMUTu path{fill:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ .fAmXvR{background:#f3f3f3;border-radius:6px;color:#444444;font-family:"proxima-nova","open Sans","Helvetica","Arial",sans-serif;font-weight:500;padding:16px 16px 24px;}/*!sc*/ It was a magnanimous moment mostly. does not retouch his base before a fielder tags him out or holds the ball while touching such base after any situation (8-2-1,2-3and2-4). @media (min-width:768px){h1.Styles__HeadlineContainer-sc-19rm04l-0{font-size:2.488rem;}h2.Styles__HeadlineContainer-sc-19rm04l-0{font-size:1.44rem;}}/*!sc*/ @supports (-moz-appearance:none){.koKsQt .share-button__square,.koKsQt .share-button__email{-webkit-filter:brightness(0%);filter:brightness(0%);}}/*!sc*/ Though considered a fair ball, third strikes were lumped in with foul balls, in that catchers could still catch the ball on one bounce for an out. data-styled.g11[id="buttonstyle__StyledButton-sc-vlv7w5-1"]{content:"hspSPq,"}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g162[id="Styles__NewsletterOptinContainer-sc-10yslsy-0"]{content:"sczZi,"}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__secondary-logos img{max-height:56px;max-width:none;}/*!sc*/ Orioles ace John Means threw a no-hitter against the Mariners on Wednesday, and the only thing preventing him from a perfect game was a strikeout? 23. .mHQYb .p-search__input--icon{position:absolute;top:0.75rem;right:1rem;}/*!sc*/ Three strikes youre out unless the ball is not caught and first base is unoccupied or is occupied with two out at the old ballgame!. Because even in the midst of Verlander adding to his strikeout total, Angels fans had something to celebrate. Anything that contributes to more people getting on base (though it doesnt actually improve their on-base percentages, which is a whole other weird topic for another time) ought to be applauded even if the occasion, as Verlander can tell you, is occasionally awkward.\n\nThis blip in the rulebook, this curious canon, this precious little postcard from baseballs past has long since outlived the logic behind its creation. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav__group-title{color:#aaaaaa;font-weight:700;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;text-transform:uppercase;}/*!sc*/ @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-bold-italic.woff2') format('woff2'), url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-bold-italic.woff') format('woff');font-weight:700;font-style:italic;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__button.account--logged-in.active::after{opacity:1;}/*!sc*/ Webpires that the batter-runner should be declared out since the batter-runner abandoned the effort to advance. data-styled.g100[id="styles__SearchWidgetContainer-sc-1vorjk3-0"]{content:"fYCiRB,"}/*!sc*/ WebIf a third strike is dropped, it means that the catcher misses the ball on its way to home plate. But the spirit of the GutsMuths rule was still intact. If the batter strikes out (swinging or looking) and the catcher does not catch the pitch before it hits the ground, the batter can run to first base. Yet third strikes were still similar to fair balls in that the runner could advance if the ball went uncaught. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .mlb-header--inner{margin:auto;max-width:none;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-bold.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-bold.woff') format('woff');font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ Nobody is seriously questioning whether the rule ought to exist. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .account--logged-in.active::after{background:#057AFF;}/*!sc*/ What happens after a dropped third strike if the runner starts heading back to the dugout? .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__logo--mlb img{margin:auto;}/*!sc*/ And then its Ugh!\n\nTheyve been dealing with it since they were kids, so the idea that a batter can reach first even when striking out is fully ingrained. @media (min-width:768px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header{font-size:14px;}}/*!sc*/ code,kbd,samp{font-family:monospace,monospace;font-size:1em;}/*!sc*/ body.article .ad-top-container{background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:8px 0;min-height:66px;}/*!sc*/ .hpFxqr{line-height:1.1;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item__subnav-arrow{color:#ffffff;margin-left:auto;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;font-size:10px;opacity:0.5;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-items{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;padding-top:2px;}/*!sc*/ Each year NHFS compiles a list of rules for coaches and officials to emphasize during the course of the baseball , Did Andrew McCutchen go beyond the legal three feet base path to avoid this tag? .hHLkAw input.right{padding-right:32px;}/*!sc*/ 2.3 A The runners lane is the area that is the home plate and the back edge of first base. .mHQYb .p-search__input--sm{font-size:12px;height:30px;min-width:150px;}/*!sc*/ It is designed to protect the runners. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__button:hover{cursor:pointer;}/*!sc*/ When Justin Verlander notched his 3,000th strikeout in September 2019, the crowd at Angel Stadium rightly recognized that such a milestone is something to be celebrated -- even when the man of the moment is wearing road gray. Batter Drops Bat, Ball Rolls into the Bat then Trickles into Foul Territory. Andrew McCutchen Called Out of the BaselineWhat? How far can the batter go .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__sponsor-logo img,.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__sponsor-logo a{height:56px;}/*!sc*/ @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-black-italic.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-black-italic.woff') format('woff');font-style:italic;font-weight:900;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ The third strike was this weird hybrid of fair and foul, taking on certain aspects of each. .mHQYb .p-search__input--icon--sm{top:0.5rem;right:0.5rem;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search-item__team-logo{margin-right:15px;max-height:25px;width:25px;}/*!sc*/ Then, read the expert analysis by Rich Marazzi on what is legal on the base paths. @media (min-width:768px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__tagline{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-pack:start;justify-content:flex-start;}}/*!sc*/ .evGxub{display:inline-block;width:48px;height:48px;border-radius:50%;-webkit-border-radius:50%;overflow:hidden;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ .blLcNM .content .share-btn{-webkit-align-self:flex-end;-ms-flex-item-align:end;align-self:flex-end;margin-left:auto;min-width:32px;position:relative;top:-16px;}/*!sc*/ .fuMUTu{pointer-events:none;width:16px;height:16px;display:inline-block;overflow:visible;fill:#ffffff;stroke:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ 2) Select Swinging or Looking. .cHcHkC{font-size:1.2rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0;max-height:48px;overflow:hidden;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;width:100%;-webkit-line-clamp:2;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;}/*!sc*/ .hspSPq{height:32px;padding-left:10px;padding-right:10px;font-size:13px;-webkit-transition:0.2s;transition:0.2s;border-radius:5px;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#057AFF;border:none;color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/