I have yet to have a game where I worked the plate where I had to count or disallow a run with regards to timing of the final out. As a plate umpire in a two man HS game, how would your mechanics allow you to best rule on this play? Are you looking at the plate and listening for your partner to make the call? Are you watching the runner score then immediately looking for the play on the infield? Are you watching the play on the infield and after the out is recorded checking to see where the runner is? I know that I have now asked this it will happen to me for sure this week as I have five games over four days and I want to be fully prepared to make the correct call.

I had this one just last Thursday:

Fifth inning. One out. Bases loaded. Batter hits fly to deep right. R1 takes off on the hit. R2 and R3 stay within a couple feet of their bases, waiting. F9 makes the catch for the second out. R2 and R3 tag and go. R1, nearly at second, heads back for first. I had backed up on 1st baseline extended to open my field of vision for the catch and the tag up at third and now I closed just slightly toward the plate trying to keep both the anticipated play at first and the touch of home in my view.

The throw from F9 took F3 off the bag and he had to scurry to beat R1 to first. It all came down very quickly as R2, a speed demon, nearly caught up with R3. R3 touched home, F3 tagged first base, R2 touched home...bang, bang, bang.

I announced "Runner from third scores, runner from second does not. Score R3's run."

Of course, as was predictable, an assistant Rat having no clue as to the difference between a force play and an appeal play and not being smart enough to shut up when warned, was tossed shortly thereafter.

You can't go by your partner's verbal call. If he is using proper mechanics, his OUT call is likely a good half-second after the actual out.

What you have to do is to try to have the plate in your primary focus, and the play (whereever it may be) in your peripheral vision.

That is what I assumed, but wasn't sure if there was some sort of trick that guys might use, or a rule of thumb.

I had one last Friday. R1 and R2, fly ball to RCF, R2 rounds 3B and heads for home, R1 rounds 2b and 3B coach has the stop sign up, but he is about 10 feet off the bag, throw goes behind him to 2B and he is tagged trying to get back a split second after R2 crossed the plate. I try to line it up so I can see the play and the plate at the same time along the same sight line, or at least have both in sight, even at an angle. I don't want to have to see one play (the out) and then turn to another (the touch).

So it is really just a matter of postioning as if you were doing the game by yourself

You have to position yourself so that you can see the possible out on the bases and the runner tagging home. Last time this happened to me there was a runner on second with a hit in the gap. The runner on second should have scored easily, however he walked in from third and sure enough BR tried to stretch the single into a double I saw this might happen and positioned myself so that I could see each play. Sure enough the third out was made at second just before the run scored. Probably the most common way that this occurs is with runners on first and third and the runner on first walks off the base to get in a rundown long enough for the runner on third to score. With two umpires this is a pretty easy play to get right. At least it should be.

Never thought of it like that, but I guess that is correct, I try to get in a position to see both plays at the same time, and formulate my own opinion, was the tag made before the touch, and then wait for my partner to make a signal. If he signals safe then I have nothing to call. If he signals out then I already know what I will call on the touch.

Line it up, see both plays, make the decision, but don't decide based on when the call was made. Make it based on when the play was made and when the touch was made.