Dropped 3rd Strike (OBR)

[w_sohl]

I was watching the Cubs/Blue Jays game last night. First inning there was a dropped third strike. Ball gets tipped and Michael Barret has the ball go off of the webbing of his glove, hits him in the mask, goes down to his knee and spins for a moment and then just before it hit the ground Barret secures the ball. Initially they ruled foul ball, after Barret showed the umpire that he had secured the ball they brought some of the other umpires in to discuss and they reversed the call to a caught third strike and called the batter out. The announcers (I know, I shouldn't be listening to them) said that they thought it had to be caught cleanly. I don't doubt that the umpires got it right, if they got together and discussed it 99% of the time they are going to get it right. However is this maybe that 1%?

[Dave Hensley]

Originally posted by w_sohl
I was watching the Cubs/Blue Jays game last night. First inning there was a dropped third strike. Ball gets tipped and Michael Barret has the ball go off of the webbing of his glove, hits him in the mask, goes down to his knee and spins for a moment and then just before it hit the ground Barret secures the ball. Initially they ruled foul ball, after Barret showed the umpire that he had secured the ball they brought some of the other umpires in to discuss and they reversed the call to a caught third strike and called the batter out. The announcers (I know, I shouldn't be listening to them) said that they thought it had to be caught cleanly. I don't doubt that the umpires got it right, if they got together and discussed it 99% of the time they are going to get it right. However is this maybe that 1%?

No, as you described it, that's a legal foul tip, because it first hit the glove, and then was caught before hitting the ground. They got it right.

[jicecone]

Originally posted by w_sohl
I was watching the Cubs/Blue Jays game last night. First inning there was a dropped third strike. Ball gets tipped and Michael Barret has the ball go off of the webbing of his glove, hits him in the mask, goes down to his knee and spins for a moment and then just before it hit the ground Barret secures the ball. Initially they ruled foul ball, after Barret showed the umpire that he had secured the ball they brought some of the other umpires in to discuss and they reversed the call to a caught third strike and called the batter out. The announcers (I know, I shouldn't be listening to them) said that they thought it had to be caught cleanly. I don't doubt that the umpires got it right, if they got together and discussed it 99% of the time they are going to get it right. However is this maybe that 1%?

No, it is in the 99% category.

OBR 2.00 "A FOUL TIP is a ............. It is not a catch if it is a rebound, unless the ball has first touched the catchers glove or hand."

[w_sohl]

I figured they, the umpires, were right, but it just got me thinking.

The announcers did mention something about hitting the glove first, but they were not sure if that was part of the rule.

[mbyron]

Originally posted by w_sohl
The announcers did mention something about hitting the glove first, but they were not sure if that was part of the rule.

Well, that's announcers for ya.

[tmp44]

Foul tip back to F2 in the chest protector region and instead of cleaning catching F2, for lack of a better word, "traps" the ball between the protector and the glove then comes up w/ the ball in his glove. Foul Ball?

Note: I hate to use the word "trap" here because of the normal meaning of it on a catch. But I guess that's what this would be.

[Matthew F]

A foul tip is a batted ball that goes directly to the catcher's hands and is caught by a) any infielder in FED or b) the catcher in OBR.

It may rebound off the catcher's chest protector and be caught/trapped as a foul tip so long as it went from the bat to the catcher's hand/glove first.

[Bfair]

Originally posted by tmp44
Foul tip back to F2 in the chest protector region and instead of cleaning catching F2, for lack of a better word, "traps" the ball between the protector and the glove then comes up w/ the ball in his glove. Foul Ball?

Note: I hate to use the word "trap" here because of the normal meaning of it on a catch. But I guess that's what this would be.

In your sitch the ball did not go directly from the bat to the catcher's glove or hand---it went to his chest protector.

Ruling: Foul ball

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Edit:......but just for discussion.........you are BU and see without a doubt that the ball went directly to the chest protector without first touching the glove or hand,
BUT......you PU rules this a foul tip for strike three.

Do you initiate a discussion to alert your partner of a factor of the call that he is unaware of???????


Freix



[Edited by Bfair on Jun 8th, 2005 at 04:17 PM]