In baseball and softball, a tag out, sometimes just called a tag, is a play in which a baserunner is out because a fielder touches him with the ball or with the hand or glove holding the ball, while the ball is live and the runner is in jeopardy of being put out – usually when he is not touching a base. A baserunner is in jeopardy when any of the following are true: he is not touching a base (excluding overrunning of first base or when advancing to an awarded base, such as on a base on balls); he is touching a base he has been forced to vacate because the batter became a baserunner (a forced runner) he has not tagged up on a caught fly ball; he failed to touch a base when he last passed it, or failed to touch them in order; or he is touching a base that a preceding baserunner is also touching (excludes touching a base he was forced to advance to, in which case the preceding baserunner is in jeopardy unless also forced to advance to an awarded base) A tag is therefore the most common way to retire baserunners who are not in danger of being forced out, though a forced runner may be tagged out in lieu of stepping on the forced base. Additionally, a tag out can be used on an appeal play. Runners attempting to advance are sometimes thrown out, which means that a fielder throws the ball to someone covering the base, who then tags the runner before the runner touches the base. A runner who leads off a base too far might be picked off; that is, the pitcher throws to a fielder covering the base, who then tags the runner out. When a runner is tagged out, a farther advanced runner who had been forced to advance no longer has to do so. For example, when a sharply hit ball is caught on one hop by the first baseman, he might immediately tag out the runner at first who is forced to advance to second; but when this is done a runner already at second is no longer forced to advance to third base. The result of such a tag is called "removing the force". If a defensive player tags the runner with his glove and the baseball is in his other hand, or