[Andy]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Here's a scenario I faced during the spring high school season, and I'm offering it up for discussion. Let me know where I went wrong!

Home team head coach approached my partner and me as we were doing the equipment checks, and asked me if I could delay the start of the game as much as possible. His dilemma was that he had a starting player who was still playing a tennis match, and she wasn't at the park. I just left that one alone and kept doing my thing.

Coach, the scheduled start time is XX o'clock. I can't delay the game waiting for one of your players to arrive. If you have enough players, we are starting the game at that time. If not, invoke whatever rules your state has concerning non-started games.

Well, when we did the plate conference, the coach handed me his lineup card, and he had the missing player listed in the #1 batting slot and playing F9. I didn't know that at the time until it became apparent later.

His card also had the DP listed in the #8 batting slot, and "F7" right next to the letters "DP". His Flex, appropriately listed in the #10 slot, had no position number listed next to her. So I asked him what position was his Flex player playing, and he mumbled something to the effect of, "I can play any of my ten starters in the nine defensive positions." I'm not sure what he meant by that, and I answered, "Well, if you're going to have a DP/Flex, I don't think you can start the game with your DP playing defense for the Flex because that removes the Flex from the lineup, and you really end up having nine starters, not ten." But since I wasn't 100% sure about that and whether it was okay to do so, I accepted his lineup as given to me.

Since the FLEX is intended to be a defensive player, she needs to have a defensive position listed. What he was trying to do is have the DP play defense for the missing player. He is correct in saying that any nine can play defense, but all 10 players on the lineup need to have a defensive position listed including the DP listed as the DP.

But back to the missing player. When the announcer did the player introductions, he announced the leadoff batter playing F9, and nobody came out of the dugout. So NOW I'm really wondering what is going on, but I remained mum. After the intros and National Anthem, the home team took the field, and they had the DP playing F7, and the Flex in F9 (for the missing player)!

Well, I went over to the coach and asked him, "What's going on, John?" He answered that he had both his DP and Flex in the game on defense which he could do. The DP was playing defense for the player in the #1 batting slot (the missing player), and that player would be offense only. I asked him, "Is she here?" and when he didn't answer, I told him I was pretty sure he couldn't have a missing player in his lineup. He insisted she was on her way to the park from her tennis match. I really didn't want to argue with him and hold up the game because the girls were ready to play, so I started the game.

Needless to say, when the home team came up in the bottom of the first inning, the missing player was not available to bat, so the coach brought in a substitute player off his bench for her. I was beyond wanting to bring up anything more, and we just played. The opposing team never said anything (they probably weren't even aware of what was going on).

Comments? Thoughts?

Nothing illegal has happened. He plugged his DP in to play defense for the leadoff hitter and took a chance that his leadoff hitter would arrive prior to the bottom of the first inning when she was due to bat. When she didn't, he used an available sub.

If you would have taken a few more minutes at the plate conference to determine exactly what the coach was wanting to do with his DP, you would realize that everything was kosher. The FLEX player needed to have a defensive position listed. The DP was not playing defense for the FLEX, but for the missing leadoff hitter. Simply a defensive switch and perfectly legal. To add, yes the DP can start the game playing defense for the FLEX, it just needs to be reported once the lineups have been accepted and are official.

When dealing with the DP/FLEX, I always try to take a few extra minutes to determine exactly what the coach is trying to accomplish in order to make sure it is legal.