[Andy]

Triple Crown Tournament...ASA rules.

This happened on an adjacent field. Whenever one team would get a runner on third, the batter would step out of the box and request time just as the pitcher was preparing to pitch. One of the other umpires said that she thought that they were trying to get the pitcher to stop her pitching motion and be called for an illegal pitch to advance the runner form third and score a run. The other umpire told me that it lookd like a good tactic.

I told her that an illegal pitch should not be called in that situation if the umpire felt the batter was calling time with the intent of causing an illegal pitch. I said that if the pitcher stopped her pitching motion that "no pitch" should be called and a warning issued. I also stated that if the pitcher continued her pitch that it should be called a strike, whether it was in the strike zone or not. She was not convinced, so the rule book came out. We found the rule about no player, coach, etc., shall call time or commit any other action with the intent of causing the pitcher to commit an illegal pitch.

What I could not find was a rule that allowed me to call a strike if the pitcher completed the pitch. I am sure that this was discussed in one of our rules meetings. Am I mising something?