Ok, let me set up a crazy senario I had in a HS game:
Runners on the corners, 1 out, pitcher on rubber prior to coming set: when I (field ump) look over, I notice the kid on 1st walking way off the bag towards the outfield grass (I mean he literally could have touched the back infield lip). Bench sreams to step off the rubber--> pitcher does so and tosses to the second baseman as the runner is casually walking directly towards second base (from the back lip). I know he is trying to get in the rundown to score the man from third and has now retreated back towards first but is still 10-15 feet back of the baseline (and making no attempt to get back within baseline). I'm giving the kid the benefit of the doubt at this point but screaming at him repeatedly to get back in the baseline. (Keep in mind that all players are playing at quarter speed and this is slow evolving both on the defensive as well as offensive sides). The kid maintains his 15 foot distance back of the baseline as he advances toward 1st despite my plea so I call him out before the 2B tags him and R3 doesn't even score. Coach, player, and fans all scream bloody murder and claim his new "imaginary baseline" is from the player directly to 2B which is a bogus belief in the first place.
My true question is: Technically, when was my first opportunity to call him out? Could I have called him out the second the pitcher stepped off the rubber and threw to second? If not, what if the pitcher would have actually tried the pick to 1st while the kid was on the back lip of the infield? Is this an immediate out call?
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