Oakland Park Baseball

Ok, so at work, I have debate going...


Here is the situation.


Man on 2nd... the batter walks.



Is the runner on second allowed to advance to third if he wants?

Or is it a dead ball, meaning that the runner must stay on second.


I am 99.99% sure that the runner can advance at his own risk in this situation. For some reason people at my work think a walk means it is a dead ball.


If someone can find an official rule on it, I would appreciate it, since I am one of the only people who know the rule, I want to prove it so everyone stops making fun of me not knowing the rule (even though it is them that don't know it).

You are right, cuz. The walked batter may run to second, if he so wants.

Hey Anthony..... you are correct.

In baseball, the ball is rarely dead. Only the following scenarios make a ball change from being "live" to "dead".

Umpire specifically calls time
When a foul ball is not caught
Batter is hit-by-pitch
any Interference call


Interestingly, the "dead" ball does not become live with a verbal call by the umpire. Rather, after a dead ball, the ball becomes alive again when the pitcher stands on the pitcher's rubber ready to pitch, the batter, catcher and umpire are ready, and the umpire calls or signals "Play," usually by pointing to the pitcher.

One of my favorite moments involving whether a ball is dead or alive was "in Game 2 of the 1998 ALCS, which featured the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Indians. With Enrique Wilson on first base and no outs, the Indians' Travis Fryman laid down a bunt that first baseman Tino Martinez fielded inside the line. Martinez's throw to 2B Chuck Knoblauch, covering first base, hit Fryman in the back and caromed 20 feet away."

"Instead of chasing down the ball, Knoblauch ignored it to argue with umpire Ted Hendry, claiming interference by Fryman. During the debate, Wilson rounded the bases to score the go-ahead run."

"Knoblauch later confessed that he saw the play as a 'no-brainer' interference call, and he likely assumed that the ball would become dead. However, this interference call was the very call in dispute, and the umpire saw it differently!" (quote taken from wikipedia)

The confusion caused specifically by the walk/alive ball scenario is exactly what teams are exploiting when their walked baserunner just keeps going around 1st and takes second base, as the pitcher and catcher lament the walk that just happened. I've seen this happen numerous times.

Sorry I don't have the rulebook number, that would take a while to dig up.

For a slightly longer, more detailed list of when a ball may be called "dead" can be found here:
http://www.answers.com/topic/dead-ball-baseball

Yeah thanks for the reassurance. I just hate people... this link, while obviously states all the deadball situations, does not say anything about what happens on a base on balls. Obviously, since it is NOT LISTED, it means I am right and they are wrong.... but they will say that the site does not include the situation of a base on balls. They are idiots, and the sad part is they think they are right. I need to find better proof!

Ok I found proof.

http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/offic ... tter_6.jsp

6.08
The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first base) when_ (a) Four "balls" have been called by the umpire; A batter who is entitled to first base because of a base on balls must go to first base and touch the base before other base runners are forced to advance. This applies when bases are full and applies when a substitute runner is put into the game.

If, in advancing, the base runner thinks there is a play and he slides past the base before or after touching it he may be put out by the fielder tagging him. If he fails to touch the base to which he is entitled and attempts to advance beyond that base he may be put out by tagging him or the base he missed.

So here it is... obviously, if a runner would TRY to advance on a walk, then it must be within the rules.