Question about the ruling on a wild pitch/strike out

[filihok]

I was just on a walk with my gf and we walked by the little league baseball fields. She's from Denmark and I'm trying to teach her about baseball so we stopped by quickly to watch a little.

On one play there was a runner at third with two out. The batter swung and missed the third strike and the ball squirted between the catcher legs and rolled to the backstop. The runner from third raced home and "scored" but the batter stood at home plate. The catcher retrieved the ball and threw to first for the out.

Should the run count?

I can see reasons for the run counting and the run not counting.

If the out is not recorded until the runner is out at first, the run should count.

If the ball is considered in play, then the runner being out at first should nulify any other base runner advancing.

I believe it's the second, and that's how the ump called it.

The batter becomes a runner and since he's out before reaching first, no runners can advance.

Can anyone verify?

[dickay]

I was just on a walk with my gf and we walked by the little league baseball fields. She's from Denmark and I'm trying to teach her about baseball so we stopped by quickly to watch a little.

On one play there was a runner at third with two out. The batter swung and missed the third strike and the ball squirted between the catcher legs and rolled to the backstop. The runner from third raced home and "scored" but the batter stood at home plate. The catcher retrieved the ball and threw to first for the out.

Should the run count?

I can see reasons for the run counting and the run not counting.

If the out is not recorded until the runner is out at first, the run should count.

If the ball is considered in play, then the runner being out at first should nulify any other base runner advancing.

I believe it's the second, and that's how the ump called it.

The batter becomes a runner and since he's out before reaching first, no runners can advance.

Can anyone verify?

If there was only 1 out or less, I would say the run would count. There being two outs I guess I would view it as the same as a high pop up which the runner crossed the plate before it was caught. Wouldn't count. It is a very tricky one though, and I have no idea of the actual ruling.

[SirKodiak]

It is basically the same as a ground ball. Since the catcher threw to first and the base was tagged (force out), the run does not count regardless of when the runner crossed the plate; but if the batter had been tagged for the third out, and the runner had already crossed home plate, the run would have scored.

A FORCE PLAY is a play in which a runner legally loses his right to occupy a base by reason of the batter becoming a runner.
Rule 2.00 (Force Play) Comment: Confusion regarding this play is removed by remembering that frequently the “force” situation is removed during the play. Example: Man on first, one out, ball hit sharply to first baseman who touches the bag and batter-runner is out. The force is removed at that moment and runner advancing to second must be tagged. If there had been a runner on third or second, and either of these runners scored before the tag-out at second, the run counts. Had the first baseman thrown to second and the ball then had been returned to first, the play at second was a force out, making two outs, and the return throw to first ahead of the runner would have made three outs. In that case, no run would score.