Using left hand for some mechanics
 

A guy who I work with recently told me he got dinged at the state tournament last year for this...

When asking the first base umpire in the A slot on a check swing, or when awarding a hit batter first base, should the home plate umpire use his [I]left[I] hand when pointing towards the base? He said his evaluator told him to use the left hand so that it wasn't misconstrued as a strike call. It was the first time I had ever heard this...has anyone know if this is a correct mechanic?

to my knowledge it is the correct mechanic along with verbally asking your partner

Pretty standard stuff, yes.

I have been instructed to use the left hand to request information from my partner and to award bases on balls for the very reason you stated. It seems moot, but it is supposed tp prevent anyone from misconstruing your signal as a strike or an out. I have always done it that way without any comment positive or adverse to using it.

Do you also say, "Take your base?"

When you say "BALL FOUR" everyone knows what you're saying. There's no need to point on this and actually makes you look like a Smitty.

Rich, that along with yelling " foul ball" on screamers into the backstop!! (or is that a "foul tip" into the backstop")?

I don't even signal a foul unless a call has to be made. It slows me up in getting a ball into the catcher's hand.

i agree with rich, and catchers love it when the ball is already in their hand when they reach back for it.

also, this topic was covered before and some people, for some reason, still think you should make ALL calls with your right hand no matter what happens ever in the world. ill stick to the standard of pointing to my partner with my left.

When getting help from BU, use your left hand. But why is he using any hand when awarding first on the HBP? Do batters in your area forget where first is?

Actually, this is one place I do point. And so do the guys on TV. It tells the others that a batter was hit and that's not always obvious.

I point, too, after calling time, but at the batter, as I was taught, not at first base.

I think I learned it as, handle an HBP just like any other dead ball award - by pointing to the base being awarded. A base on balls is a live ball award, hence, no pointing.

While we're on the subject. Do you point at a check swing or bunt attempt with your right or left hand, or do you not point at all? I was taught to point at the area in front of the plate while verbalizing "yes, he did." I use my right hand but I would be curious to see what you all think.


Tim.

i go with the left one on that

The mechanic I learned is to point using the hand on the side of the plate as the batter -- point using the left hand for a righthanded batter and using the right hand for a lefthanded batter.