Concurrent Jurisdiction

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by Rich Fronheiser
Or the base umpire could simply signal "safe" - that way everybody in the park, including the batter, knows the pitch was uncaught.

Rich

Ty and Rich:

I first made that proposal in my association in -- I believe -- 1987 after a screw-up on a catch/no catch on a third strike in the NCAA World Series in a game involving Stanford. (I'm too lazy to go back and check the records for the exact year.) I taught it to the assembled Texas state clinicians in 1989. I know that because I see it in the Clinic Manual. In a multiple crew, I taught that the appropriate base umpire should make the signal: left-handed batter, U3; right-handed, U1.

My association still uses the mechanic. To my knowledge, we've never had a complaint.

But why would anyone complain? Signalling "safe" or "out" is something umpires do anyway as a matter of course.

So my point has always been: Which official in a two-man crew is most likely to view the catch in flight of a third strike?

I note that PBUC is now teaching the technique to professional umpires. They've assigned the signal to the plate umpire, which is not the best (IMO), but it's at least a start down the right road.