I do not umpire baseball (just football & lacrosse), but my son plays high school ball. I was wondering what the mechanics were for the following play. Runners on first and second, one out. R2 attempts to steal third on a short passed ball. Catcher throws to third. Both umpires make call. F5 then throws back to first. It appears to everyone R1 was safe by a mile. No call is made. Umpires both look at each other with blank stares. PU then makes out call. Does BU have both calls? Or is there a standard for each one to cover one play. Thanks for you help.

On a steal like that it should have been BU call on both bases. If this was at the HS level The PU shouldn't doing anything on base calls in a steal situation unless there was a rundown. If neither one saw the call at first the BU should have called safe. It's not good calling outs you didn't see.

<i> Originally posted by STEVED21 </i>

<b> I do not umpire baseball (just football & lacrosse), but my son plays high school ball. I was wondering what the mechanics were for the following play. Runners on first and second, one out. R2 attempts to steal third on a short passed ball. Catcher throws to third. Both umpires make call. F5 then throws back to first. It appears to everyone R1 was safe by a mile. No call is made. Umpires both look at each other with blank stares. PU then makes out call. Does BU have both calls? Or is there a standard for each one to cover one play. Thanks for you help. </b>

R1/R2 - BU (Base Ump) should be in what us baseball bretheren call the "C" Slot which is roughly between third base and second base.

In your play the steal of third by r2 is the BU's call. Also, when F5 throws to F3 that is also the BU's call.

Now the PU can aid the BU especially on the call at first, but the original call belongs to the BU.

Now I assume football and lacrosse officials have a pre-game conference as do baseball officials. During this pre-game conference different strategies could be discussed and utilized on the field as long as each official is <b> on the same page </b>

Pete Booth

Botched by PU:

F5 then throws back to first. It appears to everyone R1 was safe by a mile.
No call is made. Umpires both look at each other with blank stares.

Before he makes his call, BU is waiting to see if PU is going to screw this one up also ....
and HE DOES!

PU then makes out call.

Buster

I know of no place on Earth where it is acceptable for the plate umpire to make the first call on a play in the infield.

The steal of third belongs to the BU. The return play also belongs to the base umpire. The plate umpire can't committ to making that call in case R2 is safe and there is a follow-up play at the plate.

This is a rare play and a limitation of the two-umpire system. The BU should simply do the best that he can and make a call on both ends.

Rich

As others indicated, since PU blew it by stepping on BU's call at 3rd, BU was likely worried about PU doing it again at 1stand delayed his call. That allowed PU to wrongly step into it again, but at least they didn't get to opposing calls at 1st base!!!

For your info, if 2 <u>opposing</u> calls were made at 3B on the same play, the umpires are supposed to confer to discuss who had the best position to make the call, and who therefore likely got the call right. The PU makes the decision on which call to stick with.

Now, who's call are they likely to stick with, PU's or BU's??

Freix

I realize what the rules say, but there is no way in God's green earth I would ever allow a PU to poach a judgment call on a first play in the infield. Just wouldn't happen.

I don't get it with some plate umpires -- they want to call balls and strikes AND everything else. Shoot, why hire a base umpire then?

Some guys you can't get out from behind the plate, and some guys want to call everything (grin).

Rich

And some guys won't move from the back of the plate and still want to call everything! YIKES !

As has been stated the PU totally smoked both calls, neither of which were his to start with but the BU should have turned to see the second call at first. It seems he didn't do this so he also smoked the call. It sounds like both need to go back to mechanics class and learn coverages and how to do a pre-game meeting with their partner.