Quote:
Originally posted by tmp44
I don't know if Eddings knew the ball hit the ground, only for the simple fact of what he did the inning before on the third strike not caught...he waited until the tag was applied before the punch.
Here's a point that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet. Everyone is basing this one what Eddings did with the fist pump after the strike. But how did this affect the catcher's thinking that it was a strike 3/out? Watch the video again...THE CATCHER NEVER LOOKS BACK AT EDDINGS TO SEE THE FIST PUMP. HE IS ALREADY OUT OF THE SCREEN WHEN THE SIGNAL IS GIVEN. My guess is that Eddings must have verbalized strike and not out (if anything at all) and the catcher and batter just thought two different thing. Thoughts?
The proper NFHS mechanic I've always been taught is the fist pump for both strikes and outs. What would the HS ump do here?
[Edited by tmp44 on Oct 13th, 2005 at 11:38 AM]
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Hello. I am a HS ump in Washington, and there are some rules as to a dropped third strike mechanic. First off, a batter is never verbally called out on strike three. A mechanic that you use to signify a strike (either pointing or clenched fist) is thrown, but there is not words except for "strike three." This is so as not to cause confusion on a dropped third strike. It is the players responsibility on the dropped strike, not the official. The catcher, when in doubt, should always tag the runner or throw to first. The runner, should always run to first. If the runner instead leaves to a dugout, he is declared out once off the field if the strike has been dropped. If the runner goes to first, the umpire has two choices. First is to call the ball dead and claim the catch was clean. Second is to let the play go on, pointing the ball live. IF there is any doubt by the plate ump, ask for help from the field official. When in doubt, tag the runner out.
As for the mechanic of the plate umpire, it is quite unusual for the arm to be thrown as he did. If he was trying to point the ball live, he did it in the wrong order. You must first signal the strike, then point to the dirt to signify a live ball. Many an umpire has died by bad signals and using too many words. An "out" should never be called based on a third strike. If the umpire believed the catch to have been clean, he should have called the ball dead, and then called the batter/runner out.