Tie goes to the runner

In Soviet Russia, the runner goes to the tie.

 

Umpires are in a tough spot on this particular call. It appears to be standard practice to watch the bag to see when the runner's foot hits it (also, to make sure the first baseman's foot is actually on the bag) while listening for the pop of the ball striking the first baseman's mitt and listening for the sound of the foot hitting the bag. Thud-pop = safe. Pop-thud = out. Then, a look to see if the first baseman held the ball. At least, that's the way I've had it explained to me by an ump. This call is easier to make at the high school level than at the MLB level, where crowd noise can sometimes make it difficult to hear the thud or the pop. If he hears one sound ("thop" or "pud"), or if neither can be heard, there almost has to be some guesswork involved.

 

The two sounds are unmistakably different.

 

One person who knows for sure: the first baseman. He feels the ball hit his glove and feels when the runner makes contact with the bag.

 

Actually, umpires follow the flight of the ball as it's thrown, and watch it enter the glove. After all, if there is no catch, there is no call. After the ball is caught, you look down to see if the batter has touched the base yet. If yes, then he is safe. If no, he is out. You basically do both at the same time. But you never NEVER watch for the foot to hit the bag and listen for the catch. You have to see all of it. It's all about positioning and being stationary when it's time to make the call.