Question on Mistaken called 4th ball.

[GBFBUmp]

I am an umpire, but not for baseball only football. So I have a question on a situation in my 10 year-old's minor league game from the other night. Bottom of sixth, home team behind.

Runners are on 1st and 2nd. Batter watches pitch and umpire seems to call ball 4. I thought it was ball 3, but just figured I missed something while someone was talking to me. (these are kid umpires so I am not looking to hang anyone, just looking for what real call should be if a miscommunication between ump and players takes place).

Batter walks to first base, runners on 1st and 2nd advance to 2nd and 3rd. Opposing coach comes out on field and starts yelling that it is only ball 3, instructs the catcher to throw the ball to second baseman and tag out runner who had been on 1st and is now on second. Then he says "game over" . We ask the umpire (13 year old kid) was it ball 4 and did he send him... he hemmed and hawed and said he didn't send him and it wasn't ball 4.


If in fact it were ball three and the batter and others thought umpire had said ball 4 and to take walk, but the umpire after everyone moves says, "no, I didn't give him the walk, and it was only ball 3" . What can the defense do, and are the players that had been on base able to be tagged out if they advance thinking a walk was called.


This is what result was. No out was called. Batter that thought he had a walk was sent off the field, base runners were moved back to original bases and next batter in lineup was up to bat.

My gut feel is that if catcher still had the ball, and the 2 base runners advanced, it was simply like a steal but at a walking pace. The original batter should have been back up to take final pitch.

Thanks,
Tim