If a thrown ball is touched with an illegal glove or mitt, and is discovered by the umpire, the coach may choose to take the result of the play or the award of how many bases?

• A. Four bases.
• B. Three bases.
• C. Two bases.
• D. One base.

Answer: (C)

When a thrown ball is touched by an illegal glove or mitt, the ball is dead, and the coach has a choice: either accept what would have happened if the play had continued, or award two bases to all runners currently in play. The two-base option is used to fairly penalize the defense for the illegal equipment while preserving a clear, predictable consequence for the offense. Practically, every runner on base would advance two bases from their current position when this award is made. The other base counts (one, three, or four) aren’t the standard remedy in this situation, which is why the two-base option is the correct choice.