Quote:
Originally Posted by verruckt
That's actually another question... If a pitch is caught, occasionally the PU will have a slight delay before calling it. And I'm sure you've all heard that it's assumed that you're 'deciding' what it should have been. That's why I'm sure a great many catchers will hold the ball, before sending it back. What's with the delay?
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It is a timing mechanism to avoid calling a pitch too early.
How bad does it look when an umpire starts verbalizing a call only to have a late swing make contact? "Bal....er, stri....no, no, foul ball!" Yep, bet that instills a lot of confidence in the umpire by the coaches!
Waiting for the ball to get to the glove insures there is no early call.