Dead Ball Appeal Situation
May 2, 2017
Situation: The batter hits an out-of-the-park home run but does not touch home plate. How
does the defense make an appeal without the ball?
Ruling: The runner can return and touch home plate as long as she has not entered the dugout.
By rule, a runner may not return to touch a missed base if she has touched the final base of her
award (see Rule 12.22.4.5) so the only base she can return to on an out-of-the-park home run is
home plate. If she has gone into the dugout she has left the field of play and cannot return to
touch the plate (Rule 12.22.5.1).
This is a dead ball appeal. The appeal cannot be made until the ball is put back in play (Rule
7.1.2.2.3). Handing the ball to the catcher and her throwing it to the pitcher does not “put the
ball back in play”. By rule, with the ball out of play, the defense cannot appeal a missed base
until the ball is put back in play, the defense is in position, the next batter summoned to the
batter’s box and the umpire indicates “Play Ball” (Rule 6.10.4).
A dead ball remains dead until an umpire indicates resumption of play (Rule 1.14).