Dead ball... Ball!

[Al]

Originally Posted by tribefan1952

I made a very unpopular call this afternoon. Dead ball... Ball! I'm interested in your feedback. Two good teams playing. Top of 6th. Bases loaded. 2 outs. 2-1 game. Tying run on 3rd. Batter gets hit by pitch. Doesn't move at all. He might have been frozen. Pitcher was throwing a lot of sweeping curves. I just felt that he stood and waited for it to hit him. I also thought he was pretty quick to drop his bat and begin running to first. Fans were cheering. I probably waited a little too long to call it and it didn't help that the coach from the defensive team was yelling about him not trying to get out of the way. I'm sure that it looked like he talked me into it, but he certainly didn't. I was planning to call it a dead ball, ball, from the start, but for some reason I hesitated for a second or two. Very unpopular call. Of course, the kid popped out for the 3rd out on the next pitch. He was really angry. He pitched the bottom of the 6th and gave up about 4 runs on several wild pitches. He also hit a couple batters (who did try to get out of the way... naturally I heard about that by the fans.) Finally, I told the catcher to go out and settle him down. I'm interested in your feedback.

You made the call...forget about the fans! If you took a second or two to review the play in your mind and feel he made no attempt to move then you made the correct call. Don't second quess yourself after that. A slow call that is correct is better than a fast call that is wrong. We are not going to be popular with a lot of know nothing fans. It's those same fans that would be saying good call blue if the other team was batting. As far as being frozen... I doubt it! Good call!

[JRutledge]

This is one of those "had to be there" type situations. This is also one of these plays that takes place a lot but unless you have seen it a lot you might have some doubt if you did the right thing. This is also a play that no matter what you call someone is likely going to complain about the call. So I would not worry about it that much. I have made this call several times and usually it is a lot easier to call when the batter moves into the pitch. If the batter froze, then it comes down to your best judgment.

As Al said, fans are idiots. Ignore what they have to say.

Peace

[SAump]

OBR 6.08 (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; ...

You did what you had to do. Depends how it happened.

I had a slow sweeping curve hit the bill of a batter's helmet. The pitcher had been throwing them four innings straight. I also told the batter to hold it right there. I figured he was stupid for not backing out of the way. He may have learned a very valuable lesson had the ball then bounded into his face. OC calls time to discuss the call and for me to ask my partner for help. Says it happened too fast for the batter to react. It may have curved in for a strike and the batter was trying to process this info.

I asked my partner for help and he agrees with the coach's version. I award the batter first and then hear it from the other coach for reversing a judgement call. Placed in this no win situation, I wished I would have never went to my partner for help. Dah. It played a role in the outcome of the game and it looked bad in front of both teams.

[tribefan1952]

Thanks so much for your sincere and qualified responses. I forgot to mention that my assigner just happened to be there watching the game. Between innings, I asked him and my partner about the call. Both said it was right. I wasn't fishing for comfort from them. I really wanted to know their opinions. I haven't done this for long and I really want to do the best I can.

This kid played varsity and has umpired for several years. I know him. I taught him in Sunday School. I took ump classes with him. That's probably why I hesitated. Very good kid. Very good ball player. I talked to him prior to the game. He caught about half the game before they brought him in to pitch. He's going to Purdue in the Fall. But he should have known that you must at least make a pretense of spinning out of the way. I had to make a call. Somebody was definitely going to be unhappy in this situation. I'll get over it. I hope he does, too.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by tribefan1952

Somebody was definitely going to be unhappy in this situation. I'll get over it. I hope he does, too.

Now you are an umpire.

Peace

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by SAump

OBR 6.08 (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; ...

Which, of course, is different from NCAA...

I was working the CCIW Tournament a couple weeks ago and had the elimination game (a.k.a. padded room game)--those are always fun, NOT--between Augustana College and Elmhurst College. Elmhurst is trailing 16-10 in the bottom of the 9th and they're up to bat. Augustana walks the first guy then hits the second guy, and now we've got runners on first and second with no outs. Great. The game's already past 3 hours.

The next guy comes up and on the first pitch he gets plunked. The pitch was clearly well inside and he just stood there and watched as it glanced off his left upper arm. I award him first and the bases are loaded with nobody out. Augustana's head coach comes out and yells at me, "He's gotta make an attempt to get out of the way of that pitch! He can't stand there and let it hit him!" Of course, I calmly explained to him that when the pitched ball is within the lines of the batter's box, which it was, he does not have to avoid the pitch; he just can't lean into it.

Elmhurst scored 4 runs and wound up short as I rang up a batter for the final out--SOMEone had to end that damn game--final score 16-14.