Baseball rules corner: here's a quiz to test your knowledge on the rules of baseball

Baseball Digest, May, 2004 by Rich Marazzi

IT'S TIME TO TAKE A RIDE THROUGH THE baseball rulebook via my annual rules quiz.

What follows are ten true and false questions. If you get 9-10 correct answers, you're ready for the big time. A total of 7-8 correct answers put you in the minors. Anything less requires you to take Baseball Rules 101 at your nearest institution of higher baseball learning.

Okay-number your paper from 1-10 and swing away!

1. The Blue Jays have Vernon Wells on first base and one out. Carlos Delgado, the batter, checks his swing with a 3-2 count. The umpire calls, "Ball Four" after Angels' catcher Bengie Molina asks the third base ump for help. The base ump reverses the call to "Strike Three" and declares Delgado out. Meanwhile, Wells has started a slow trot to second and is tagged. Wells should be immune from the tag and awarded second base since the plate ump called "Ball Four." True or False?

2. Arizona's Quinton McCracken is on second base and is going with the pitch when Luis Gonzalez hits a ground ball to Marlins' third baseman Mike Lowell who throws to first to retire Gonzalez. McCracken rounds third and races home on the play. Marlins' first baseman Hee Seop Choi throws home to erase McCracken but the ball hits Gonzalez who is not running in the runner's three-foot lane. McCracken should be declared out even though Gonzalez did not intentionally interfere with the throw. True or False?

3. With one out, the Twins have Torii Hunter on third with two strikes on Corey Koskie. Hunter is stealing and the pitch strikes him in the batter's strike zone. The umpire should allow Hunter to score on the play. True or False?

4. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals smashes a line drive base hit into right field but overruns first base after touching the bag. He makes no attempt to go to second. Karim Garcia, the Mets right fielder, fires the ball to Mike Piazza at first base who tags Pujols before he gets back to the bag. Pujols should be called out. True or False?

5. The Yankees Derek Jeter is stealing home when Jason Giambi hits a high fly into right field. Jeter slides across home plate as the ball falls in for a base hit. Thinking the ball was caught, Jeter gets up, retouches home plate and heads back to third. Jeter's tagged before he reaches third and should be called out for attempting to return to third after touching home plate. True or False?

6. Rafael Furcal is on third base for the Braves with Marcus Giles at bat and one out. Giles takes "Ball One" as Furcal attempts to steal home on the pitch. Giles interferes with Reds' catcher Jason LaRue while LaRue attempts to tag Furcal who is sliding into the plate. Furcal should be called out for Giles' interference and Giles should remain at-bat with a count of one ball and no strikes. True or False?

7. Jose Valentin is on first base for the White Sox. Red Sox right hander Curt Schilling has come to a stop in the bottom of his stretch motion when Valentin quickly breaks for second. Schilling turns toward first and without hesitating he continues his turn and throws to second base for the putout. This should be a balk. True or False?

8. The Cubs have Moises Alou on third and Derrek Lee on first when Alex Gonzalez squares around to bunt Cards' catcher Mike Matheny reaches for the ball and touches Gonzalez' bat preventing the bunt. The umpire should rule the play dead, charge the pitcher with a balk and award all runners one base. The batter should also be awarded first base. True or False?

9. Astros' left fielder Lance Berkman comes in and plays directly behind second base on the dirt giving Houston an extra infielder. This is a violation because a team is allowed only four infielders. Berkman should be forced to return to his normal position in left field. True or False?

10. Johnny Damon, the Boston Red Sox runner on first, is running on the pitch when Nomar Garciaparra hits a fly ball deep to center field. Damon is almost to third base when the ball is caught by Baltimore's Melvin Mora. Mora throws the ball to second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. who steps on second base before Damon reaches second on his way back to first base. Damon should be ruled out. True or False?

ANSWERS

1. False 9.02 (c)--Baserunners must be alert to the possibility that the base umpire on appeal from the plate umpire may reverse the call of a ball to the call of a strike in which event the runner is in jeopardy of being out by the catcher's throw.

2. False 7.09 (k)--It is interference by a batter or a runner when in running the last half of the distance from home base to first base while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside the three-foot line, or inside the foul line and, in the umpire's judgment, interferes with the holder taking the throw at first base, or attempting to field a batted ball.

3. True 6.05 (n)--A batter is out when, with two out, a runner on third base, and two strikes on the batter, the runner attempts to steal home base on a legal pitch and the ball touches the runner in the batters strike zone. The umpire shall call "Strike three," the batter is out and the run shall not count; before two out, the umpire shall call "Strike three," the ball is dead, and the run counts.