45 intentional or not. If, however, the runner has contact with a legally occupied base when he hinders the fielder, he shall not be called out unless, in the umpire’s judgment, such hindrance, whether it occurs on fair or foul territory, is intentional. If the umpire declares the hindrance intentional, the following penalty shall apply: With less than two out, the umpire shall declare both the runner and batter out. With two out, the umpire shall declare the batter out. If, in a run- down between third base and home plate, the succeeding runner has advanced and is standing on third base when the runner in a run-down is called out for offensive interference, the umpire shall send the runner standing on third base back to second base. This same principle applies if there is a run-down between second and third base and succeeding runner has reached second (the reasoning is that no runner shall advance on an interference play and a runner is considered to occupy a base until he legally has reached the next succeeding base). (c) The runner is tagged, when the ball is alive, while off a base; EXCEPTION: A batter-runner cannot be tagged out after overrunning or over sliding first base if said batter-runner returns immediately to the base. APPROVED RULINGS: (1) If the impact of a runner breaks a base loose from its position, no play can be made on that runner at that base if the runner reached the base safely. (2) If a base is dislodged from its position during a play, any following runner on the same play shall be considered as touching or occupying the base if, in the umpire’s judgment, that runner touches or occupies the point marked by the dislodged bag. (d) The runner fails to retouch his or her base after a fair or foul fly ball is legally caught before that runner or the base is tagged by a fielder. The runner shall not be called out for failure to retouch the base after the first following pitch, or any play or attempted play. This is an appeal play. (e) The runner fails to reach the next base before a fielder tags the runner or the base after that runner has been forced to advance by reason of the batter becoming a runner. However, if a following runner is put out on a force play, the force is removed, and the runner must be tagged to be put out. The force is removed as soon as the runner touches the base to which that runner is forced to advance, and if over sliding or overrunning the base, the runner must be tagged to be put out. If the forced runner, after touching the next base, retreats for any reason towards the base last occupied, the force play is reinstated, and the runner can again be put out if the defense tags the base to which the runner is forced. (f) The runner is touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball has touched or passed an infielder. The ball is dead, and no runner may score, no runners advance, except runners forced to advance; EXCEPTION: If a runner is touching a base when touched by an Infield Fly, that runner is not out, although the batter is out. NOTE: If two runners are touched by the same fair ball, only the first one is out because the ball is instantly dead. (g) The runner attempts to score on a play in which the batter interferes with the play at home base before two are out. With two out, the interference puts the batter out and no score counts. (h) The runner passes a preceding runner before such runner is out. (i) After acquiring legal possession of a base, the runner runs the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game. The
