Baseball is a game of rules. Some are clearly written in the baseball rule book while other rules are implied. One of the first rules that young players learn is that when the batter/base runner makes his tour around the bases, a tie goes to the runner.
Circumstances
When a batter hits a ground ball to one of the infielders, he should be sprinting down the first-base line as soon as he hits the ball. The infielder closest to the ball will attempt to catch the grounder, transfer it to his throwing hand and then throw to first base. As the runner touches first base, the ball smacks the first baseman's glove. The umpire must make an immediate decision. Did the ball arrive in the glove or did the runner's foot hit the base first? Then he must make the out or safe call.
Baseball Rule Book
There is no sentence in the baseball rule book that says the tie goes to the runner. However, rule 6.05 states: "A batter is out when after he hits a fair ball, he or first base is tagged before he touches first base." The key word in the rule is "before." If the foot or any part of the runner's body hits the base at the exact same moment as the ball hits the first baseman's glove -- in the umpire's judgment -- the runner will be ruled safe. That's because the ball did not get to its destination before the runner touched the base.
Umpire's Quandary
The umpire is supposed to position himself 10 to 15 feet from the base so he can have a clear look at the entire picture. He wants to see the play in its entirety and determine if the runner arrived first at the base or if the fielder caught it. However, on the closest plays, umpires will usually look at the fielder catching the ball and listen for the foot hitting the base. It will be difficult to look at both the catch and the foot hitting the bag at the same time. The umpire needs to depend on both senses.
Infamous Missed Call
While baseball will use instant replay on fair and foul ball calls and to determine if a fly ball went over the fence for a home run, it does not use instant replay on safe-out calls on the base paths. In 1985, this became a controversial point during the World Series. In the bottom of the ninth inning of the sixth game between St. Louis and Kansas City, Royals batter Jorge Orta was called safe at first by umpire Don Denkinger, even though replays showed that pitcher Todd Worrell had taken the throw from first baseman Jack Clark before Orta reached the base. The Royals were trailing 3 games to 2 at that point in the World Series and 1-0 in the game. They used that play to springboard a rally that gave the them a 2-1 win. They also won the seventh game and took the World Series.
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