How would you handle this?
 

HS JV game. I was working the plate with a rookie base ump but that has nothing to do with the question :)

End of 3 with the score visiting team 22 & home team 4. No "mercy rule". About 1:45 played so far. During the home team's 4th pitching change of the game I asked the home team coach if he would object to ending the game after 5. He said that if the other coach didn't care he would like to end it after the 4th since he was out of pitchers. There was no arguement from the other coach. So after 4-innings, 2 hours & 15 minutes, a score of 29-4 and with agreement from both coaches I ended the game.

Most of the runs came from errors & walks. The winning coach had long ago stopped stealing or any agressive base running. I hate to say this but I had a strike zone that I could have driven my Hummer through (with no complaints from anyone, including fans). I know that it was a bad example for me to set for a rookie ump. We talked about the game afterwards and I tried to explain to him what he had just seen :eek:

My Adult League game later that night was a 2-1 game, I guess the baseball gods had forgiven me. :)

Long as its a legal game, I don't have an issue with it. The umpires cannot force the teams to play, so if both coaches are happy, I'm happy. And anything to get me out of a 29-4 train-wreck makes me happy.

Typically one of the coaches will first broach the subject to you, and you can say, 'if you get the other coach to agree, its OK'. That way it doesn't look like your idea.

As long as that "expanded zone" was the same for both teams, that all sounds ok to me. I am not sure I would have asked outright if he wanted to end the game early. I would have hinted around at it, but probably not asked outright.

Zone is aways the same for both. I just hinted more directly than you would have. He wanted to quit, I just planted the seed...opened the door for him.

Me: "Hey Bill, tough day huh?"
Coach (Bill): "I'd say so, I'm running out of pitchers"
Me: "Since the score being what it is how about ending it after 5?"
Coach Bill: "If Jason (the other coach) doesn't mind let's end it after this inning"
Me: "Jason, Bill says he's running out of pitchers and wants to end it after this inning"
Coach Jason: "That works for me"

Todays HS game is a varsity game.....got to be better.