NFHS ruleset.
This is from a game that I watched - I wasn’t umpiring.
This was his windup delivery. He did it the same way every time so there was no material variation in the pause that you’ll see, no reasonable way to call it deceptive.
It was allowed for the entire game and I can’t figure out why they didn’t call an illegal pitch [edited to specify illegal pitch instead of a balk] a balk because of the pause.
Situation: batter is push bunting for a hit. He squares late and starts moving forward but the ball is thrown at him. He spins and is outside of the front of the batters box when the ball makes contact with him.
He attempted to get out of the way and the ball made no contact with the bat.
Umpire ruled dead ball batter out. What is the right call?
Situation: batter is push bunting for a hit. He squares late and starts moving forward but the ball is thrown at him. He spins and is outside of the front of the batters box when the ball makes contact with him.
He attempted to get out of the way and the ball made no contact with the bat.
Umpire ruled dead ball batter out. What is the right call?
This question pertains to a runner leaving early but regaining the original base during the live-ball action and only then advancing because of a subsequent wild throw or defensive misplay.
Scenario 1: Runner on 1st leaves early to take a lead. Batter does not put the ball in play. As the runner is retreating toward 1st, the catcher throws to 1st in an attempt to retire the runner. The throw is wild, allowing the runner to regain 1st and continue to 2nd.
Scenario 2: Runner on 3rd leaves early to take a lead. Batter does not put the ball in play. As the runner is retreating toward 3rd, the catcher throws the ball back toward the pitcher. The throw is wild, allowing the runner to regain 3rd and continue home.
It seems like both scenarios come down to the same underlying question: Does Rule 7.13 continue to govern until the play is over (and if so, when is a play "over"), or is the violation effectively resolved once the runner has legally returned to the base occupied at the time of the pitch?
If there's an official Little League interpretation on this, I'd be interested to hear it.
In this 11U baseball game, runner was initiated called out at home. But after appeal, 3B was ruled obstruction. As such runner was ruled safe at home. Do you agree with the ruling and if so where 3B should place himself? I think he should stand outside of the bag and leave the side facing 2B as running lane, right?
For context, this is a little league setting with a volunteer umpire (parent from the home team with minimal umpire experience). But looking for some info on how this should have been handled.
The home plate umpire was positioned close behind the catcher, but on one knee rather than standing. His left leg was up. On a passed ball to the catcher’s glove side the catchers would bump into the umpire’s leg while trying to retrieve the passed ball.
Would that be interference? And what would be the best course of action for a coach to take in this situation.
Outside the dugout, using short bats they brought for this purpose, making noise during the pitcher's windup. This is after a sportsmanship warning earlier in the game. There are also two kids in the dugout who aren't on the team, hitting the metal benches with bats.
Prospect Select tournament that costs $2000 per team. Semifinals.
My understanding is any pickoff move has to be thrown to the base and not the position but in a game today the RHP made an inside move and stepped to the SS and threw it. SS was probably ten feet away from the base when he received the ball. I know you can feint a throw to 2b but I thought any pickoff moves need to be to the base. Clarification is appreciated.
I’m really having trouble (in baseball) on steals of third base. I’m moving into position quickly but I’m not seeing of the runner is beating the tag. So I’m just basically making the call based on whether the throw beats the runner and I’m hating it. Any tips on how to do the read step I’ve heard about?
Little league game, majors. Home plate umpires ball/strike calls and mechanics aren't clear. Two outs and the count is 2-1, but the scoreboard says 1-2. Pitcher throws and the batter swings and misses. Defense thinks it's strike 3 and walks off the field. Catcher rolls the call to the pitchers mound. R2 and R3 start walking off the field too. R2 and R3 both start walking towards the 1st base dugout. R3 does not touch home plate.
As r3 is crossing the 1st baseline, the umpire yells out, that's strike 2. R3 and R2 start running back to their positions. The as pics up the ball and throws to 3B who clearly tags R3 out.
Umpire calls that they called a dead ball and everyone returned to their bases.
My question is what should the umpire have done? If offense and defense both leave are the runners just out for abandonment? Is it the umpires place to stop the game and clear up the confusion unsolicited?
Anyone in here experienced as an umpire with only one eye? How do you position yourself and handle the lack of depth perception?
Perfect Game Tournament 16u Pool Play
Top 6th, 9-4 Away Team
Player takes strike three high in the zone. As he’s walking away he says (so only the catcher and I can hear) “That’s fucking terrible. You cannot make that fucking call.” I take a moment to make a note of the player and game situation.
After the half inning ends I intercept the manager on his way back to the dugout. I tell him “#99 Smith cursed at me after I punched him out. This is a warning to your entire team.” The manager goes back to the dugout and immediately substitutes the player out.
This game was pretty mellow until this, so I didn’t feel the need to immediately eject the player. He didn’t show me up or raise his voice, didn’t insult me or get personal. I don’t want to make the behavior seem acceptable, but I didn’t want to blow the game up with an ejection. What would you have done?
Made an out call on an attempted steal of third base. After replaying it in my mind and hearing what the coach/player thought of the call I really think I messed the call up. I honestly did not get a great angle on the play (I was field ump in a 2 man crew). I feel terrible about it for some reason. Anyone have advice on moving on from a blunder of a call?
Did 10U little league softball today and it was pretty fun. Only thing was, the girls were so tiny! 😭 I ended up just kneeling behind the catcher to have a decent view of the zone. No one said anything, so I just kept with it because it worked pretty well. What do you think?
Bonus: How do you not let chirps affect you during the game? At the end of the game, the coaches seemed happy, the girls were happy, and I was pretty happy; but I remembered this one mom who was chirping at everything that didn’t go her team’s way as I was walking to my car.
How do you not get agitated? Is it just an exposure thing?
I need tips on calling the field from behind the plate, my league implemented only using one ump per game and I’ve found it a struggle to adjust. Thank you in advance.
I've had two batters this year demonstrate this as a habit, I don't believe it's malicious or intended to make it hard to see the plate for the pitcher. It's not a protest. I think it's just a weird habitual thing they do before every single pitch. But I literally cleaned off the plate two seconds earlier, then he steps up and drags his bat across, pulling a sizable amount of dirt onto the plate.
So the next at bat when he gets up, did it immediately after I cleaned the plate again. I called time, cleaned the plate again (twice cleaned the plate before a pitch was thrown), and told him if he intentionally covers the plate with dirt I'll call a strike for batters interference in delaying the game.
He stopped, but I don't actually know what the right call is.
Has anyone else dealt with this? This is LL Majors division. Nothing in the rulebook directly addresses it that I've found.
R1, R2. One out. 3-2 count.
OBR:
Rule 6.01(a)(5) - It is interference by a batter or a runner when… any batter or runner who has just been put out, or any runner who has just scored, hinders or impedes any following play being made on a runner. Such runner shall be declared out for the interference of his teammate.
Rule 6.01(a)(5) Comment: If the batter or a runner continues to advance or returns or attempts to return to his last legally touched base after he has been put out, he shall not by that act alone be considered as confusing, hindering or impeding the fielders.
This is 12U. I did not have this as an intentional act by the batter-runner. It's a 12-year-old who doesn't understand the uncaught-third nuances. Heck, he technically never even became the batter-runner. I acknowledged the interference but did not call "Time" because, honestly, I was buying a few seconds to work out what I just saw. Plus, I was waiting to see if the catcher's throw retired R2 on the backpick. It was brain overload.
But is this even interference? I want to know what "by that act alone" means in the (a)(5) Comment. The batter attempted to advance after he had been put out. But does "that act alone" only refer to his continuing to run the bases? Is he no longer protected by this rule when he actually hinders a following play?
For example, say the catcher does not attempt a backpick at 2B in this video and instead attempts to throw to first base because he saw the batter-runner attempting to advance. I think the runner is protected by (a)(5) Comment in that situation in terms of confusing the defense. But I'm fuzzy on how much leeway "by that act alone" gives a batter/runner who has just been put out.
*Sorry for the watermark. My footage routinely gets reposted without proper credit attributed. It's, to me, an interesting video I'm gonna be posting to my social media channels, and I wanted the sub's take on this play before sitting down and making a quick short about it. Thanks.
Hey all,
Im behind the plate for a little league 11u districts game. Kid hits a rocket to the left field wall. When the dust settles the catcher hands me the hitter’s bat and asks “I he allowed to use this?”
It’s a USA bat but where the shaft meets the barrel is piece of electrical tape wrapped around maybe once.
Admittedly I wasn’t 100% on the ruling so I was inclined to call it nothing. Between innings I advised the coach I wasn’t sure but he should look into it for future games.
Next time up the kid shows me he removed the tape but the connector or whatever was damaged. I told him I can’t allow him to use damaged equipment and to grab a teammates bat if he needed to.
Thoughts on how this one was handled? Maybe I should have taken the bat to the official scorers table for a conversation about it? The game ended 17-1 so not losing sleep either way.
Thanks!