[MD Longhorn]

I just can't imagine any instance where you would stop the play in the MIDDLE of a play. It opens up way to many worms. Consider other plays - batter hits and is rounding first, you then see lightning. Do you stop it right there? Of course not. Or in the situation described, he sees the lightning a split second earlier, while the pitch is in the air - do you stop it right then? I don't, but what if you do... do you rule on whether the ball would have been a strike or ball had it reached the plate? What if the batter hits it... or it hits the batter.

Just too many cans of worms. You can't end it in the middle of the play.

I suppose that we must assume that this was the very first lightning sighting... if there was some distance between the lightning and the field, surely you could let the play conclude. However, again giving benefit of the doubt to the umpire, and given the assumption that in any given storm, there must be a FIRST lightning and that first lightning must appear close to something ... so let's assume it appeared right on top of the park. Even in that extreme case, if it was so close that safety would be at risk if you didn't stop play literally immediately (like it seems he did), then I'd have to say that NONE of the play would count. No pitch, in essence. I can't even fathom an occurence that would cause you to stop play in the middle.