The White Sox and Mets played at Citi Field on May 27, 2025. In the bottom of the first inning, the Mets had Brandon Nimmo on first base and no outs when Juan Soto, facing Jonathan Cannon, drove a ball deep to Michael A. Taylor in right center. Nimmo was off and running. It wasn’t clear if Taylor made a diving catch, but first base umpire Tom Hanahan made the safe sign ruling the ball was trapped.

Unaware of Hanahan’s safe sign, Nimmo who had rounded second base, returned to first thinking the ball was caught by Taylor. In so doing, he properly retouched second base and returned to first. Midway between first and second, Nimmo and Soto crossed paths and Soto, the trail runner, was called out for passing Nimmo. Soto, like Nimmo, thought Taylor made the catch. By the time Nimmo returned to first, Soto was on the infield grass in front of Nimmo when the two crossed paths.
The ball went from Taylor to second baseman Lenyn Sosa, who threw to shortstop Chase Meidroth, who tagged second base, thinking that Nimmo would be forced out. He would have been if the tag of the base occurred before the passing of the runners. But Nimmo and Soto crossed before Meidroth tagged second base. Therefore, the force was removed. Soto attempted to return to first base long after he passed Nimmo.

Ruleball Comments

• Rule 5.09 (b) (9) states, “Any runner (Soto) is out when he passes a preceding runner (Nimmo), before such runner is out.
• The passing the runner violation normally occurs when a batted ball is hit into the outfield and the runner on first, thinking the ball was caught, retreats to first base. In so doing, he is passed by the trail runner who is called out.
• The ball is not dead, and the play continues. In the above play, Nimmo returned to first base.
• When possible, the base coaches should attempt to communicate the umpire’s safe sign to the runners. Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson made an unsuccessful attempt to get the attention of the runners.
• “You’re using all your surroundings,” said Nimmo. “And when I heard the crowd make the sound like it had been caught, that flipped the switch in my head, and I was like ‘All right, I’m going back.’ With the home crowd you can usually tell. If it was the visiting crowd, I wouldn’t use that.”
• When possible, one or both runners must visually locate the other. The runners must be aware that they can physically hold each other up to prevent the passing. The base coaches are not permitted to physically assist a runner, but active runners can do so. However, they must be careful to avoid the passing the runner violation.
• If the trail runner (Soto) is aware that the preceding runner (Nimmo) is retreating, the trail runner (Soto) can return toward first base so the retreating runner (Nimmo) will improve his chances of locating the trail runner (Soto) and the runners will remain in the proper order.
• The force was removed twice in this play. Because Nimmo retouched second base on his return to first base, the force was reinstated under rule 5.09 (b) (6) that reads in part, “…if the forced runner after touching the next base, retreats for any reason towards the base he had last occupied, the force play is reinstated, and he can again be put out if the defense tags the base to which he is forced.”
• In the above play, the passing the runner violation occurred before Meidroth tagged second base. Therefore, Soto was out and Nimmo remained on first base.
• If Meidroth had tagged second base before the passing, Nimmo would have been forced out at second base and Soto would not be called out for passing the runner, but most likely would have been doubled-up at first base when Meidroth threw to first baseman Miguel Vargas.
• The scoring of the play is interesting. If Nimmo had advanced safely to second base after the passing violation had occurred, Soto would have been credited with a hit because the runner (Nimmo) advanced on the play.
• Fortunately for the Mets, the running violation did not impact the outcome of the game won by the Mets, 6-4.
• On July 4, 1976, Tim McCarver (Phils) hit a grand slam home run vs. the Pirates in the first game of a double header. Garry Maddox, the runner on first, retreated back to first thinking the ball was caught. McCarver passed Maddox and was called out. But he was credited with a single because Maddox advanced as did the other two runners on the home run base award. McCarver had hit a grand slam single.
• This wasn’t the first time Maddox was involved in a passing the runner violation. As a member of the Giants on June 19, 1974, he was on first base in a game against the Cards when Ed Goodson hit a shot off Bob Gibson deep to center field where Bake McBride leaped and appeared to make a spectacular catch. But the ball popped out of McBride’s glove and went over the wall for a home run. Maddox, who rounded second base, retraced his steps toward first because he thought the ball was caught. Goodson, the trail runner, thinking he was out, passed Maddox. Maddox was permitted to resume his original run around the bases and scored. Goodson, like McCarver, was credited with a single because Maddox advanced on the play.
• On July 9, 1970, Dalton Jones of the Tigers hit a grand slam against Red Sox pitcher Vicente Romo, but was only credited with a single because he passed Don Wert between first and second base-another grand slam single.

Yes, the passing the runner rule is a colorful chapter in baseball history. Nothing is new-just the names change.

Rich Marazzi

Rules consultant/analyst: Angels, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox, Rangers, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees, YES, and Chicago Sports Network