marlinfan Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 As I sat on the porch overlooking Florida Bay in the home I was staying at (vacation) just 3 houses down from the former home of Ted Williams in Islamorada, I began to think. I began to think about the possibility of a team turning a quadruple play. A came to a startling conclusion that may or may not rip the fabric of the baseball space-time continuum- quadruple plays are very possible. You may be sitting at your desk in your underwear and thinking to yourself, "A quadruple play, WTF?! There are only three outs in a half inning buddy!"Let me set-up a situation where I can show you how.Bases loaded. The hitter hits a flyball into the outfield. The outfielder makes the catch. The runner on third heres because he crosses the plate before the last out is recorded. Or does he? This is where things get weird. Due to poor base running, the runner on third leaves the bads home (tagging). The runners on first and second are trapped off base, thinking the ball would drop they began to head towards the next destined post, w/o tagging. The outfielder throws to second for the 2nd out of the inning. The second basemen then throws to first to complete the triple play.The runner on third scores before the ball is caught. The team on defense sees this and steps on the bag. The umpire who also saw the illegal base running maneuver calls the runner out and thereby cancelling the run. (We saw this in the USA-Japan game in the WBC last year.) Boom! Four outs in an inning. Quadruple plays are very real. It may take the planets of eighth solar systems to align but it very possible. 1997 | 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcgd Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 wow...you're right.You'd have to get 4 outs in the inning just to not let the run score.That's why I love baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huskyfan82 Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Anyone have an aspirin?David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyboy1 Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Why on Earth hasn't this ever come up before. You sir, are a genius. Click here to read Third String Goalie - The Hockey Jersey of the Day Blog Click here to see my hockey and baseball jersey collection online ?You don?t like to see 20 kids punching 20 other kids. But it?s not a disgrace, It?s hockey.? - Michael Farber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEMOSTLfan Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 wow, my head hurts after trying to comprehend all of that but I think you just changed my life forever. This may take a while to digest. World Champions: 1926 1931 1934 1942 1944 1946 1964 1967 1982 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grish Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 The reason it has not come up is because, once the runner from 1st and 2nd are out when the fielders touch the base, those runners become FORCED OUT. The runner from 3rd run therefore would not count, because you cannot beat a FORCE OUT and score a run, only a play envolving a TAG. If the other runners have make themselve legal then the run would count, if the run crossed the plate prior to the last TAG out.So close, yet so far.... "Try not to have a good time ... This is supposed to be educational."- Charles Schulz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 For any fourth out to happen, there must be an appeal somewhere in the play, and there would most likely be a legal run scored during the play that would be erased with that appeal.Had the runner from third legally tagged and scored before the runner returning to first was forced out (for the third out), the run would count. If the batter/runner was retired for the third out at first base, then the run wouldn't count regardless of the timing of it.In your scenario, the batter is out, the runner at third tagged illegally, and both runners were forced out, so the fourth out is the appeal play at third. Back-to-Back Fatal Forty Champion 2015 & 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlinfan Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 I was able to find something on the issue:Still waiting for the diving stab that initiates the triple play that saves the World's Championship, or the leaping catch above the wall or all-out in the gap to save all. A throw might conceivably achieve this distinction. A Cuban championship was once decided by rejection of an appeal for a quadruple-play ruling. The triple play had to suffice, and cost the season. (From Tom Boswell's How Life Imitates the World Series, p.89) With the bases loaded and none out, with the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, a spectacular catch in deep right led to the runners being doubled up at second and tripled up at first, but the runner on third tagged and scored before the third out was registered. Since the final out was not a force play, the run counted, but there was an appeal that the runner left third too soon. One umpire did rule for a fourth out, but he was overruled, and the chance remains, though this is good enough for a small planet.http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/distances.shtmlQuadruple Play - Only the first three outs were counted - 7/1/1903 6th Inning - New York Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals http://tripleplays.sabr.org/tp_trivia.htmSo it has happened before and if the appeal is made and the guy is out, it is very legal. 1997 | 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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