Rules of Baseball Tag

Baeball tag rules

In the game of baseball a baserunner is out when he is either tagged or forced out by the opposing team. The tag is the action of touching the runner with the baseball without dropping it. The most common form of tagging a player is by touching him with your mitt when the ball is firmly enclosed in the mitt. A runner can also be tagged out by being touched with the ball by an opposing player who has the ball in his bare hand. However, a baserunner cannot be tagged out while he is standing on any base that is not occupied by another baserunner.

Ball in Mitt

A defender can tag a baserunner out when he has the ball in his mitt and touches the runner with that mitt. According to Major League Baseball a runner is out when, "He is tagged, when the ball is alive, while off his base." However, if the ball is dropped by the defender while making the tag. The runner is ruled safe. If the runner swipes at the mitt to dislodge the ball, the runner is declared out.

Bare Hand Tag

A defender can tag out a runner by touching him with the baseball while it is enclosed in his bare hand. A runner is safe if the defender tags him with his mitt while the baseball is in his other hand. The same holds true if the defender tags a baserunner with his bare hand while the ball is in his mitt. If the ball is dislodged from the defender's hand while making a tag, the runner is declared safe. If the runner attempts to dislodge the ball on purpose, the runner is automatically out.

Occupying a Base

A runner is safe and cannot be tagged out if he is occupying a legal base without another runner occupying the same base. A runner is allowed to over slide or overrun first base and home plate only. If after running through first base the runner makes a move as if he is going to run to second base, he can be tagged out before he returns to the base.

References

• Major League Baseball Rule Book