[BuggBob]

Okay I made a little girl cry. The pitcher steps on the pitcher's plate with her hands together (ball in glove, hand on ball). I immediately called an illegal pitch. The team protested my call, the UIC was summoned, the call was overturned. The other umpires at this tournament were about 50-50 split on if this was an illegal pitch or not.

The not illegal pitch camp said the pitch does not start until the hands separate, the pitcher could have corrected her error by stepping off the plate. But by me calling the pitch illegal she did not have that opportunity.

The it is an illegal pitch camp agreed with my call.

No mater the out come, after that the pitcher sure did remember the pitch timing elements.

Bugg