No, everyone has to advance safely for the run to count. If there was no force out but one of the runners was thrown out, as long as the runner at 3rd crosses home plate before the out, the run would count.

This just happened in my son's game last night, with only one small difference. Bases loaded, two outs, pop fly on the infield and it is not caught. But the runner on second apparently forgot there were two outs, and had only gone halfway. So the third baseman picks up the ball and tags third. Our view: it was a force out and the run does not count even though the runner on third crossed home before the put out at third. The umpire ruled that the run counted because the runner crossed the plate before the put out AND because the put out was made AFTER the batter reached first. Reading the rules of baseball, I don't understand the ruling at all. Under Rule 4.09 the run clearly does not count if the third out is a force out. Under the definition of "Force out," I don't see how this was not. If it wasn't a force out, then how could he even have been out? All I can imagine is that somehow the act of the batter crossing first before the put out at third removed the put out from the definition of a "force out" (does it become two runners one base), but I don't see how. The umpire would/could not explain it.

If the runner at first is forced at second, then it wasn't a hit. The third out is made and no runs count.

The correct answer is: No. It was a force play. Taken from MLB official rules: A FORCE PLAY is a play in which a runner legally loses his right to occupy a base by reason of the batter becoming a runner. Confusion regarding this play is removed by remembering that frequently the "force" situation is removed during the play. Example: Man on first, one out, ball hit sharply to first baseman who touches the bag and batter runner is out. The force is removed at that moment and runner advancing to second must be tagged. If there had been a runner on third or second, and either of these runners scored before the tag out at second, the run counts. Had the first baseman thrown to second and the ball then had been returned to first, the play at second was a force out, making two outs, and the return throw to first ahead of the runner would have made three outs. In that case, no run would score. Example: Not a force out. One out. Runner on first and third. Batter flies out. Two out. Runner on third tags up and scores. Runner on first tries to retouch before throw from fielder reaches first baseman, but does not get back in time and is out. Three outs. If, in umpire's judgment, the runner from third touched home before the ball was held at first base, the run counts

Absolutely NOT. RUN DOES NOT COUNT!! Any third out recorded which is a forced out negates any and all runs that may have already crossed the plate REGARDLESS of the batter safely reaching 1st base. This is baseball 101 folks.

the only way the run counts is if the runner from third base crossed the plate before the out was called at second base.

No

Run does not count! Force out is in effect no matter. And the runner was forced out at 2nd base. Why did the runner get to second so slowly??