Quote:
Originally Posted by reccer
Coach here.
Can the BU make the call that the batter is out of the box?
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Umpires work as a team and any umpire can make any calls but as a coordinated team certain calls are made by specific umpires who may ask their teamate for his/her assistance. Some over zealous base umpires may offer their opinion without being asked and that can lead to mistakes and is highly frowned on but not against the rules.
Good example, BU has the batter to third by convention, PU calls him off, "I've got third", error on play and batter heads for home and the BU is already there to make the call at the plate. They are working as a team.
Bad example, BU calls batter out for being out of the box because he sees a foot in front of the plate, only to find out that player wears a size 16 and his heal was touching the line. Bad teamwork leading to a lot of unnecessary confusion.
He can make the call but probably shouldn't unless his partner has specifically asked him to watch for it on certain batters that for whatever reason he can't see their feet.