Team Loses Playoff Game When Runner Misses Home

New Jersey's Northern Highlands lost its state playoff game when Mount Olive appealed to the umpire that a runner missed home plate to negate three runs...for the final out of the game. How did one runner missing home cost his team three runs, and, the game? Read on.

With two out and two runners on base in the 7th inning against Mount Olive (the NFSIAA high school baseball tournament plays seven innings), Northern Highlands appeared to hit a home run, out of the park. As preceding runner R2 rounded third base, he began jumping in celebration, ultimately jumping directly over and past home plate without touching it, while the two following runners—R1 and the batter-runner—did properly touch home plate.

Every level of baseball requires runners to touch each base in order when advancing (or retreating). The equivalent rule for professional baseball is OBR 5.06(b)(1) Advancing Bases, for college is NCAA 8-6-3, and is NFHS 8-2-1 in high school.

After the play defensive team appealed during a live ball, but before the next pitch or play (or attempted play), that the preceding/lead runner missed his base touch, the HP Umpire ruled R2 out, which by rule also negates any runs that may have been scored by trailing runners who touched home plate after R2.

So instead of a 3-3 game with two outs in the 7th, the appeal made it a 3-0 final score, the third out courtesy of an appeal for a runner who missed home plate.

One small footnote is that because this was a high school game, the defense could have elected to appeal the play verbally, without having to go through the live ball pitcher-disengages-then-throws-to-catcher procedure. NFHS is different than both OBR and NCAA in this regard by allowing dead ball appeals (prior to the next pitch or play) in NFHS rule 8-2-6: "A coach or any defensive player, with or without the ball, may make a verbal appeal on a runner missing a base or leaving a base too soon on a caught fly ball." If you're in high school and concerned about properly appealing during live ball, bear in mind that a dead ball appeal is an option at the NFHS level.

Video as follows:
Alternate Link: NJ high school loses state playoff game because runner didn't touch home plate