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UMPIRE CALLS
Throughout the
What occurred and what if
anything was, could or would be done. Below is a compilation of the different
emails that have come out from Mark Dobson, president of
All communications are listed
below, ordered by most recent:
From the office of Mark Dobson, President, SABA
DATE:
Batter hit by pitch. After
running to first base, he attempts to steal 2nd base before the
pitcher is back on the rubber. He is thrown out at 2nd base.
What is the correct call? After a hit batter, the ball is dead and no
runners can advance. So, it was a dead ball and the runner should not
have been allowed to steal 2nd and should not have been called out. He
should have been sent back to 1st. After a dead ball
(including foul balls), the umpire should not call or put play back in until
the pitcher is on the rubber and the batter is in the box. Most
young umpires and many old umpires are lax about doing this. If you watch
good experienced umpires, after a foul ball or dead ball, you will see them
make a quick point of the fingers to signify live ball once the pitcher is set
and the batter is in the box.
Can call-ups be
used in the infield? Yes, call-up players (from a lower level) may play any
position on the field except pitcher. All regular players in attendance
must play before the call-ups are used. For this same reason, call-ups
should bat at the end of the batting order.
Can you start a
game with 8 players? Legally, no. You must
have at least 9 players to start a game. You may continue with 8 players
if someone gets hurt or has to leave. You cannot continue to play with 7
players. If a forfeit situation is decided upon, you can still go ahead
and play a game for fun (since everyone is at the field and the goal is to let
the kids play). If both coaches agree prior to the game that one or both
of the teams are allowed to start with 8 players, notify the umpires and go
ahead and play an official game. The team with 8 players should not
pressure the other manager to agree to those terms, though.
Lookout coach!
A ball is batted into the air in foul territory on the 1st
base or 3rd base side. While attempting to make a catch, the
defensive player runs into the base coach or the base coach catches the ball
when the defensive player has a chance to catch it. Let’s assume
the coach is in the coach’s box, if one exists. What is the ruling?
The batter should be called out for
coach’s interference. It is the coach’s job to get out of
the way, whether they are in a coach’s box or not. On the play
where the coach catches the ball, it is the umpire’s judgment as to
whether the defensive player had a chance to make the play.
Thrown ball accidentally hits a base coach. Live or dead ball? In the case of a thrown ball, the
ball remains live as the coach is part of the field.
A base umpire is positioned behind the pitcher offset to the
shortstop side, with a runner on 3rd base. A batted ball hits
the umpire before any fielder has a chance to field the ball. What is the
call? Any batted ball that hits an umpire in fair territory, before a
defensive player has a chance to field it, is an immediate dead ball. The
batter is awarded 1st base. No runners advance, unless they
are forced by the batter, so in this case, the runner at 3rd must
stay. Similar to the coaching situation above, if a thrown ball hits an umpire, it is a live ball because the umpire is part of the
field in that situation.
In Pony League,
after a dropped 3rd strike, the batter is running to 1st
base. The catcher’s throw to 1st hits the runner, who
has one foot in fair territory as he runs down the line. What is the
call? The batter/runner is called out because he is required to run to 1st
base in foul territory. It is an immediate dead ball and no other runners
may advance. The same call should be made on a bunt or slow roller down
the line. Even if the ball doesn’t hit the batter, the umpire can
call the runner out for interference if, in his judgment, the runner is running
fully or partially in fair territory.
Tips??
Runner on 1st base. Batter
swings and tips the ball and the catcher catches the ball clean. The
runner is attempting to steal on the pitch. Can the runner steal or must
he go back? Many people think that a tipped ball is foul and the runner
must go back. It is only foul if the catcher doesn’t catch the
ball. If the catcher holds onto the ball, a tipped ball is treated the
same as any other strike and the ball is live. Runners may steal.
Another thing that may cause confusion on this play is that young or
inexperienced umpires may even call “foul ball” on a tipped ball
that is caught. In reality, the umpire should call “strike”
and brush his fingers together to signal a tipped ball. This rule applies
on any count, not just on strike three.
While running from 2nd
to 3rd, a base runner is hit by a batted ball after it goes by the
shortstop (the runner was running behind the shortstop). What is the
call? If a runner is hit with a batted ball before a defensive
player can make a play, the runner is out and the ball is dead. The
batter is awarded 1st base and no other runners advance unless
forced. In this situation, because a defensive player (shortstop)
had a chance to field the ball before it hit the runner, the ball should have
remained live and the play continues. The runner is not out in this
situation.
See you at the fields. Thanks.
Mark
DATE:
Coaches:
Following are some more game situations that have come up.
Please continue to call or e-mail me when situations arise and we’ll try
to “get the call right”.
Batted ball hits off the plate and bounces into fair
territory. Fair or foul? Home plate is considered fair territory,
so it is a fair ball. Actually, even if a batted ball comes to rest on
the plate, it is a fair ball. On a similar subject, there is a small part
of the batter’s box that is in fair territory. A small triangle in
the front inside corner of each batter’s box is in fair territory if you
look down the lines from the back point of home plate. If a ball comes to
rest in this area, it is technically a fair ball, even though it is in the
batter’s box. There is no fair/foul line visibly running through
the box, so it is an umpire’s judgment call. If the batter touches
the ball in this area, it is a foul ball, because the batter is still in the
box.
Batter steps on the plate during his swing or bunt attempt.
Is he automatically out? You might think so, but not always. The
rule to consider is stepping out of the batter’s box. If a player
steps completely out of the box and no part of his foot is touching the batter’s
box line, he should be called out. If any part of his foot is still
touching the batter’s box line, it is legal. It is definitely
possible for a batter to step on the plate with his toes and still have his
heel on the batter’s box line. In this case, it is a legal hit.
Stepping on the plate is not an automatic out unless the foot is not touching
any part of the batter’s box. By the way, in Farm and Little
League, the batter’s box is 3’ by 6’ and the inside line
should only be 4 inches from the plate, so you can see that the above scenario
is possible. Usually, the batter’s box is completely wiped out
early in the game, so once again, it is a judgment call. There should be
no warning given. If they violate the rule, they should be called out.
In Farm baseball, a runner is on 3B with less than two outs.
A line drive is hit to the pitcher, who makes the catch. The runner on 3rd
has left the bag. In an attempt to double off the runner, the ball is
overthrown at 3rd base and stays in “live-ball”
territory. Can the runner advance home from 3rd? The
runner is free to advance to home at his own risk, but he must tag-up.
Farm players can advance from 3B on the continuation of a batted ball play.
If the throw had gone out of play, the runner would be awarded home, but he
would need to tag up before continuing or be subject to an appeal. This
is not to be confused with an overthrow of third on an attempted steal or
pick-off. On those plays (no batted ball involved), runners in Farm
cannot advance from third.
Base runner slides into 2nd or 3rd base
and is safe. The defensive player keeps the ball and stands beside the
base. As the base runner stands up, he comes off the bag and is tagged
out by the defensive player. The runner is called out by the umpire.
The offensive team coaches said that the umpire should have called time out and
the play was dead. Is this correct? No, it is not the umpire’s
responsibility to call time out, especially if a player has the ball near the base.
The offensive player or coach can request time out, but it is not granted until
the umpire calls time. I can assure you that, if the defensive player
would have thrown the ball over the pitcher’s head when he returned the
ball, the offensive team would have wanted to advance the runners and would not
have wanted the umpire to call time on his own. Umpires will typically
only call time when: requested by a team; if a player is injured; or if the
umpire is working a game alone and needs to turn his back on the field to
return to his spot.
In Farm or Little League, a batter receives a walk and runs
to 1st base, then attempts to proceed directly to 2nd
base without stopping, but the pitcher has the ball on the pitching rubber when
the batter reaches 1st base. Should the runner be returned to
1st base? This is a tough situation. In real baseball,
play is still alive. In Farm/Little, once a pitcher has the ball on the
rubber and the next batter is approaching the plate, base runners are frozen at
a base. Obviously, during the continuation of a play where a runner is
advancing, the pitcher can’t jump on the rubber and freeze a runner
between bases. But in this case, where the pitcher has the ball and is on
the rubber prior to the runner reaching 1st base, the runner is
frozen. Besides, he can steal 2nd base on the next pitch.
A player arrives after the start of a game. Can he be
inserted into the game and batting order? Yes, but the rules on entry
vary by League. For Farm and Little, he must be added to the end of the
batting order. It does not matter when he arrives. He must go to
the end of the order and bat when his time comes up in the order. He is
eligible to play defense as soon as he arrives and, as per the rules, should
not sit two defensive innings consecutively, once he arrives. In Pony,
entering him into the game is optional, as it is with any other player on the
roster in attendance. If he is to be added to the batting order, he must
be put in as a substitute for a starting player, and not added at the end as an
additional hitter. Our new batting rule states that once the number of
hitters a team will bat in any game is determined, that number must not change.
New batters may only be substituted in for existing batters. Even in Pony,
a late arriving player can be inserted defensively at any time. And
finally, a late arriving player at any level (Farm/Little/Pony) does not need
to be listed in the score book at the beginning of the game as a possible
alternate/substitute to be eligible upon arrival. He just needs to be announced/inserted upon entering the batting order.
The final situation occurred in a
See you at the fields. Thanks.
Mark
DATE:
Coaches:
In the first two weeks I have received several calls about
different situations and I thought I would share them for everyone’s
benefit. Please continue to call or e-mail me when situations arise and
we’ll try to “get the call right”.
Pitched ball bounces in front of plate and hits the batter.
Is it a hit batsman or just a ball? The belief by many seems to be that
the ball is dead when it hits the ground, but this is not the case. The
ball is still live when a pitch hits the dirt. If it hits the batter, it
is a “hit-by-pitch” situation. The ball is then dead and the
batter is awarded 1st base. Just remember, if the batter
swings at a pitch that bounces and hits it, it is a legal hit, if fair.
Batted ball bounces down the 1st or 3rd
base line and bounces over the bag, but lands foul on the other side.
Fair or foul? On any ball that hits in the dirt before a base, fair or
foul is determined where it crosses the base. If any part of the ball is
over the base as it goes by the base, it is a fair ball, regardless of where it
lands. Also, if a ball bounces passed the base in foul territory, but
then hits a rock and bounces into fair territory behind the base, it is still a
foul ball, because it is where the ball is when it passes the bag. But,
If a batted ball does not hit the ground and goes over the base or any
part of the field on the fly, fair or foul is determined where the ball lands.
Batter swings and the ball tips his
arm. Hit batsman or strike? If a batter swings the bat, it is a strike,
even if the ball hits the batter.
Batter hits a ball in the outfield and is thrown out at 3rd
base. As the batter rounded 1st base, the 1st
baseman was standing on the bag and interfered with the runner. What is
the correct call? First, the umpire has to see the interference. If
they don’t see it, they cannot make a call. Don’t be
surprised with young umpires if they don’t see these situations. If
the umpire sees interference, the correct call is delayed dead ball. In
other words, they let the play finish and then decide if there is any penalty.
If a runner is thrown out by a great distance and the umpire decides (judgment
call) that they would have been out even if there was no interference, then
there is no call. Obviously, if they explain that to the manager, things
will go smoother, but if coaches understand the rule, there will be less
confusion. If, in the umpire’s mind, the interference did cause the
person to be thrown out, they can then overturn the call and make the runner
safe. Also, if the runner does not try to advance, if the umpire things
they would have tried to advance, if not for the interference, the umpire can
advance the runner one base. If they don’t think it had any bearing
on the play, they make no call. The point is, not every
situation involving interference dictates the changing of a call or the
awarding of a base. From a teaching perspective, if you see your own
player or an opponent standing on the bag during hits. Correct your
player or politely talk to the other coach about correcting his player.
Standing on the sideline and yelling to the umpire that they are standing on
the base is probably not the best way to go.
Catcher blocks the plate as he applies the tag. Is this
legal? Yes, the catcher may block the plate with his legs as he tags out
a runner. And you can’t tell your runner to run over the catcher.
The runner just has to slide hard into the legs of the catcher and try to get
to the plate. The tougher situation is when the catcher doesn’t
have the ball yet. The catcher may block the plate if he is in the act of
catching the ball and applying a tag. However, he cannot block the plate
if the ball has not arrived yet at the plate. This is an umpire judgment
call.
In Pony League, with two strikes, the batter swings at strike
three and the pitch bounces in the dirt. Is the batter out (assume there
is 2 outs or less than 2 outs and 1st base is unoccupied)?
Legally, the batter is not out in this situation until he is tagged or thrown
out at 1st base. And the most common mistake by umpires and
coaches is that it doesn’t have to be a dropped ball by the catcher.
If any pitch bounces in the dirt, the batter is still live, even if the catcher
catches it on the bounce. It also does not have to be a swing. If
it is a called 3rd strike and the catcher drops it or it hits in the
dirt, the batter is live until tagged or thrown out. By the way, if it is
2 outs and the bases loaded, there is a force in this situation and the catcher
only has to touch the plate to complete the out.
That’s it for now. The good news is that in all
of the above situations, I think the umpires got the calls correct. That
won’t always be the case, but as you can see, there are lots of rules to
keep straight. And I don’t know all of the rules. If any of
my above explanations don’t seem right to you, please let me know and we’ll
figure it out. Keep those situations coming and keep having fun.
Mark
DATE:
The following situation occurred in a recent
Team A had a runner that was scoring on a batted ball.
When he arrived at home plate, the catcher had the ball and the runner stepped
over the tag on to the plate. The home plate umpire called the runner
out. When Team A manager asked the umpire why
the runner was out, the umpire said it was because he didn’t slide.
The manager then asked if the runner was tagged and the umpire said, no, he
would have been safe if he had slid. After Team A manager told him that
SABA doesn’t have a mandatory slide rule, he then was ready to reverse
the call, but after discussion with the other team’s manager and coaches
and the other umpire, the original call of out was upheld.
There are several good questions here:
Was the call reversible?
What is the correct call?
Should the other umpire overrule?
Should coaches be involved in the discussion or just
managers?
Before we answer the questions, let me just say that by all
accounts I have heard, everyone stayed calm and acted in a reasonable way and
that is the most important thing. This play occurred in the last inning
and the run would have tied the game, so there was a lot riding on the decision
and I’m sure emotions were high. The managers, of both teams,
should be commended for their behavior. Now on to the
questions.
Was the call reversible? Yes. Rules
interpretations are reversible. The umpire thought we have a mandatory
slide rule in
What is the correct call? See above.
Should the other umpire overrule? From my
understanding, the base umpire got involved in the discussion and said he
thought the runner was tagged anyway, so the call should be “out”.
He was standing out near 2nd base. As a general rule, one
umpire should not try to overrule another umpire. A manager may ask an
umpire to appeal to the other umpire on a call, but the umpire that called the
play is not required to ask for the other umpire’s opinion. I have
told the umpires to stick by their judgment calls, unless they didn’t get
a good look. If they do want to appeal or talk to the other umpire, it
should be done away from any manager or coach in private. Once they
decide what the correct call is, they should make the call. But a 2nd
umpire should never come into a discussion and offer his opinion unsolicited,
especially in front of everyone. In this case, the judgment wasn’t
even being questioned, only the interpretation of the
Should coaches be involved in the discussion or just
managers? At the time of the initial discussion, managers need to tell
their coaches to go to the bench and remain quiet. Then the managers can
have a reasonable discussion with the umpire. Many times, the coaches don’t
know the rules anyway, so all they are doing is confusing the situation and
intimidating the young umpires. If just the managers talk to the umpires,
we will have a much better chance of getting the call correct, and that is the
main objective.
As I said above, I think everyone stayed relatively calm, and
that is the most important factor. By all accounts, the umpires called a
good game and we have to understand that these kids are young and are doing
their best. I spoke with the home plate umpire so that he understands the
rule for the future. As I said at the meeting, if situations like this
occur, don’t hesitate to call me on my cell or at home, as I would have
been able to help facilitate the correct call at the time of the play. I
appreciate being informed and think that we can all learn from these
situations.