Handling situations: Dealing with catchers
 

In an effort to start a thread that is about baseball I wanted to ask how different guys are dealing with catchers when ...

1) You ball a borderline pitch and they signal the dugout that it was a stirke.

2) Your partner balls a borderline pitch and the catcher signals the dugout that it was a strike and your partner doesn't see it.

I would be interested to see what your approach to this is.

What level?

HS, NJCAA, NCAA, Pro

F2's going to have a very short day if he pulls this $hit & I find out about it!

Sitch 1 - sometimes depends on if I know the catcher (of course then they won't do it becuase they know better) but

"you do that again and its gonna be a long afternoon"

Sitch 2 - none of my business, but I'll remember it for further reference.

Thansk
David

Situation 1 - Under my breath, tell the catcher not to be questioning the strike zone or they will have a short game

Situation 2 - Don't say anything immediately, but may mention it at the next half inning to my partner. Then its up to him what he wants to do about it.

IMO, it boils down to frequency, meaning if F2 did this 1 maybe 2 times I could care less, however, if he makes a habit out of it, then something has to be done about it.

To me this is silimar to a coach saying

"where was that one blue"

I will answer the coach 1 maybe 2 times but if the coach is constantly asking me where the pitch was, we will have a little chat, something along the lines of

"skip we are not doing this all game long"

Pete Booth

1. First few times, nothing.

If he continues, "If you're going to call ball or strike, then I want to call curve or fastball."

If he keeps it up, "Seriously, we only need one umpire back here."

2. Nothing.

After a couple of time of this, I'll respond, "Out of the strike zone."

Sitch 1: I call time, swing around to "dust" off the plate and say something along the lines of , "knock that s*%@ off"..

Sitch 2: Nothing, file it away.

Thats how I handle the situation. We have a lot of catchers that do this here in Houston (5a baseball) . I tell them one time and thats all it takes. :cool:

Sitch 1 - similar to Jim. Ignore once or twice - then a friendly reminder, then a not as friendly reminder to knock it off.

Sitch 2 - ignore.

This is a "conversation" I had with 18 year old select team catcher a couple of years ago when I called time after he indicated to his bench that a breaking ball I called a ball, was a strike.

"Son, we're like family back here. You and I are the only ones dumb enough to wear the tools of ignorance and stand here and let people throw baseballs at us. Like family, we keep our disagreements between us. If you feel the need to take our disagreements outside the family, there's likely to be a divorce and one of us will have to leave. Do you understand what I'm suggesting?"

Not a peep the rest of the game.

One of the best posts I've read in a long time. Thank you for making my day...that is awesome..

I've posted this story before. Minor Leagues, first game of a DH. My partner was on the plate. Dumb kid straight out of high school (1st year as a pro) catching.

Every so often, the manager would yell, "where's that at?" About the middle of the game, my partner realized that if the catcher hit his mask with his throwing hand, that was a signal to the dugout that he thought my partner had missed the pitch. When the catcher hit his mask, the manager would yell something else. When he didn't hit the maske, there would be no follow-up from the manager.

So, of course, my partner said something in passing along the lines of: "you're not telling your manager when you think I missed a pitch by hitting your mask, are you." My partner did not show him up (in fact I didn't know about it until after the game in the locker room). Of course the kid responds with, "no sir."

We finish the game with no problem. Between games the catcher went and cried to his manager that they had been caught.

At the plate meeting for the second game the manager started going off on us. "Do you really think we do that..." and on-and-on. Finally (as the plate umpire) I said "o.k. skip we've heard you. That game is over; its time to get this one started."

He responded with, "who asked you? You're F'n Horsesh!t, and you've been so all season."

He got tossed. He kicked dirt on me on three different occassions before leaving the field. He then came out and sat in the bullpen (in street clothes) in the fourth inning and I chased him out of there. It was a long, long ejection report.

But you know what? I didn't hear sh!t about balls and strikes all game long!

This thread reminds me of a minor situation with a catcher with whom today I have an outstanding relationship (uh, baseball-wise, that is :D ). In the summer of 2005 he was playing on a summer college team, in one of those summer wooden bat collegiate leagues. The first game of the 2005 summer season for this team saw me working the dish behind this young man (who is now a Junior in college and that school's starting catcher). Very early he didn't like a pitch I called a ball and he held his mitt out there too long and turned his head to look back at me in disagreement. I calmly told him that that wouldn't be tolerated, and the next time would see him involuntarily leave the game early.

After the inning was over, I heard his manager rip into him in the dugout, telling him, "You don't ever pull that kind of crap with this umpire. Randy doesn't put up with sh!t like that. You're lucky he didn't run your @ss." I had to smile and laugh a little under my mask.

He never did it again, and as I stated above, we have an excellent on-field relationship. In fact, he works very well with me out there and it's a pleasure to call a game when he's catching. Also, from a strictly objective baseball observer's point of view, he has turned into a hell of a ball player. He can crush the ball and has one of the nicest swings I've seen. Good kid.

I may be an umpire, but I have to admit that I really do enjoy seeing good players out there. It's one of this job's best benefits, if you ask me.

Catcher at bat
 

First year FED guy so feel free to slam me if you think I approached this wrong. Top of the second, starting catcher at bat - ball just above the knees called strike three. Catcher grumbles and kicks dirt as he walks away. No real show but he thought that the pitch was low and expressed it. Bottom of second - catcher behind plate, LH batter first pitch just off or at the edge of the plate but close enough at this level (JV). Ball one. Catcher turns around and says coach got me when I got to dugout and I understand and you won't here anything else out of me. Rest of the game went well and I think he had a better understanding of our relationship behind the plate.

I call borderline pitches strikes, so I don't get much crap from the catcher.

My best line, used years ago, "coach, have you got another catcher?" After he responds yes I return with "good, you are getting ready to need him."

If the coach hollers out to the catcher "where was that pitch" I will often say "outside" (or whatever) just loud enough for only the catcher to hear and 99% of the time he will get the message and respond accordingly. Catcher's are not dumb.

Not a word on balls and strikes for 5 innings. After ejecting head coach for arguing a batters interference for third out, assistant coach takes over. With a runner stealing, pitch in the letters as catcher attempts a throw without success. Assistant asks his catcher where the pitch is, he says right there.
I replied to catcher, keep that up and you can join your coach. Finished the game quietly.

Preventive maintenance
 

Good suggestions but all are after the fact. I've done this several times and found great results. Before the each half of the first inning I make a point to engage in cordial hellos with the catcher. Nothing special, just how you doing this afternnoon type stuff. I tell the catchers, that we are a team behind the plate and we have to work together. I tell them to help me out. They don't like their coach yelling either so we both benefit by keeping the coach off my back. If there are any situations where he or the coach feels I may have made an incorrect ball/stirike call, just keep the game moving and singal the coach where I called the pitch. If I call outside, tell the coach it was outside. All of the catchers I've done this with have helped and the game has run much smoother. Of course I'm sure I'll run into one of those "superstars" that won't want to play along and then I'll have to use one of the previously recommended tactics.

Don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever.

You call pitches "outside", "low", etc?

Just say BALL.

Thanks a lot. I read this while sipping my coffee. Some of it that came out of my nose landed on my khakis. Now I'll have to explain the stain just to the side of my fly for the rest of the day.

But you did give me an idea. From now on, I'm going to call any catcher doing this, Fredo.

As long as they don't wake up next to a horse head All will be right in the world.

On the lighter side and speaking of horse heads - in the movie that was a REAL horse head. They arranged to get it from some slaughterhouse in the local area.

Yummy!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about the pants. I'll try to give fair warning next time. :D