What is the ruling if a player kicks the ball into dead-ball territory after attempting to pick it up?

In the scenario where a player kicks the ball into dead-ball territory after attempting to pick it up, the ruling is that all runners are awarded two bases from their positions at the time of the incident. This is because the act of kicking the ball into dead-ball territory constitutes a deliberate action that creates an unusual game situation, warranting the awarding of bases to the runners.

This ruling ensures that runners are given an appropriate advancement due to the ball being made dead, which affects the outcome of the play. The two-base advancement is a standard rule designed to maintain fairness and equity, as players are rewarded for their positions when the ball becomes dead due to such actions. In contrast, awarding one base or no bases would not adequately address the disruption caused by the player’s action in this context, and returning to original bases would negate the progress made by the runners up to that point.