Being "hung out to dry"

[soundedlikeastrike]

Hung out, then, strung up..

LL, 60' diamond.
I'm U1, partner in C with R1 & R2.
Pitch in the dirt right at the RH batter, he jumps over the ball, I see no contact, "ball".

O Manager asks for time and from the dugout steps says "the ball hit him on the foot". I ask the Batter, "that hit ya?" He give's me that beautifully innocent pre-teen, shrug of the shoulders. "Nope", I says to coach.

SUDDENLY, like a white knight, my hero partner, comes running in from C, shouting and flailing his arms, "it hit him, it hit him".

I confer with him, and he say's "oh yeah, it him on the bottom of the foot."

I ask, "man, you sure?" "I saw him clearly jump over the bounce".

"Oh yeah, right on the bottom of the foot".

"Well, okay, I says, thanks a bunch for your help", but do me a favor, and don't offer that type help unless, I ask ya, okay?"

"Sorry skipper, guess I missed that one..."

I award the batter 1st base on the HBP, notify the scorekeep, we had a HBP.

Now, D asks for time, and I feel an explaination is in order. He comes on out, my partner kinda lingers there, guess he wants to here the splain-n?

Coach asks "why did you change your call"? I say, "well coach I didn't see any contact on the pitch, but my partner, clearly saw the pitch strike the batter on the bottom of the foot, so, we have a HBP".

Coach ask's my partner, "you saw that from clear out there, when this guys two feet away from it?"

My partner, says, "yeah, I'm "PRETTY SURE" it hit him".............

Ever have that "kicked in the gut feeling" as your being held under the water?

After a bit more interrogation of my partner, in private away from the coaches, (I wish Guantanamo had been available then), it is clear that,

no he did not clearly, unquestionably, willing to die by the call, see the ball strike the batter, the best I could get out of him was, it "looked like it might of", or "I think it hit him".

I really couldn't take this as definitive any more than the coach coulda.

I chew my partners A.. best I can on a 60' diamond.
Explain to the O manager, that my partner wasn't absolutely clear on his call, that I was right on top of it, and I am bringing the Batter back, and that is my final answer, sorry about the confusion, let's play on.. errrrrrr, grrrrrrrrr, #$%@&@!!

[DG]

If I was PU I would have been about half way up the line in case you needed me, but it's your call at 3B in this play. R1 touching is not as important on this play as a potential throw to 3B, and in fact irrelevant since it was a flair and both runners were well off their base.

Now if it was a routine fly ball with catch and throw to 3B I would expect my partner to be at 3b for R2 advancing, and I cover this in pregame. But not on a flair.