[Tim C]

Jim:

Since I am ONLY located a few miles north of you in Portland I’ll try to jump on this quickly.

First, I hope that the umpire was not a member of the Portland Baseball Umpires Association.

Second, I had an answer all written until I read your parenthetical reference at the end of your post.

Third, my answer is based ONLY on FED/OBR rules and admittedly really have a problem sometimes understanding “local rulings.”

The ruling:

Under FED and OBR rulings you have everything straight in your mind. The only thing you don’t refer to is the actual responsibilities of a relief pitcher once they enter and that may be the root of the problem.

Under FED and OBR a relief pitcher must face one batter or retire the base runners before being replaced. THAT’S THE LIST!

Even your local rules seem to preclude an umpire from circumventing them. In your example you refer that the “pitcher is out of available innings to pitch” – how can an umpire circumvent a “rule” that is based on safety. Easy answer . . . he can’t and, as you point out, the ultimate penalty would be an ejection . . . so you would lose him as a player but at least he would not be pitching.

All your references are good in letting us (the evil guys that umpire) know that you know what you’re talking about.

So, on the surface, it appears that the umpire misapplied the rules and didn’t really “get it.”

HOWEVER, your parenthetical reference could “confuse” an umpire as to who can and who cannot be substituted for after warm-up pitches begin.

Now I am a common sense, game management type guy. If I was your UIC I would not only have allowed (required) the pitching change in the name of safety I would have allowed the relief pitcher all eight warm up throws.

Tee

[Edited by Tim C on Dec 8th, 2002 at 11:49 AM]