Help Needed

planoblue · #1 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 10, 2002, 09:49am

I have a situation that occurred the other night in a varsity game and would appreciate help in getting the correct outcome. I have asked other more experienced officials and the outcome is mixed. Here is the situation.
The coach at the start of the defensive inning sends the DH to the mound and he starts his warmup pitches. The coach comes over the UIC and states the he is putting his DH into pitch and wants to move the pitcher from the 3rd position to the 6th position in the batting order to replace the SS. The UIC tells the coach that both the DH and the pitcher he is hitting for are locked into the 3rd position and he can not make that change. The coach and the UIC straighten out the situation and put the DH in the game at center field and move the center fielder to pitch. My question is that since the DH had already completed his warmup pitches does he have to face one batter before he can move to center field? Was the DH offically the pitcher once he started his warmups or is he the pitcher of record once the changes are made and announced to the other team. It seems that some of the experienced officials feel that the pitcher was not in the game until the changes were made. Others feel that once he completed his warmups he was an unreported sub and was in the game. The ball was never put in play. This was all done between innings. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

bob jenkins · #2 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 10, 2002, 10:28am

Quote:

Originally posted by planoblue
My question is that since the DH had already completed his warmup pitches does he have to face one batter before he can move to center field? Was the DH offically the pitcher once he started his warmups or is he the pitcher of record once the changes are made and announced to the other team. It seems that some of the experienced officials feel that the pitcher was not in the game until the changes were made. Others feel that once he completed his warmups he was an unreported sub and was in the game. The ball was never put in play. This was all done between innings. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

If the umpire announced the sub (DH to pitch) to the other team, then he became the pitcher.

If it was not announced (as I suspect), then the DH did not become the pitcher. The DH would become the pitcher once the ball became live. 3-1-1.

planoblue · #3 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 10, 2002, 10:31am

Thanks for the reply. The game was played under Fed rules. I hope this does not make a difference.

Marty Rogers · #4 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 10, 2002, 10:54am

OBR any player becomes the official pitcher as soon as he has thrown one warm-up pitch to the catcher behind the plate. Doesn't matter if he's been announced or not. That is why coaches tell kids not to fool around and throw a pitch for fun when they are not the pitcher.

FEDERATION rules might be different.

Bfair · #5 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 10, 2002, 04:14pm

Under Fed rules, he is not officially in the position until he takes the rubber AND the ball is live.

That didn't occur in your situation.
Their ultimate change is ok.

Just my opinion,

Freix

harmbu · #6 (**permalink**) Fri Apr 12, 2002, 12:18pm

Am I correct that in OBR what the manager was attempting to do is acceptable? In Fed it is not.

bob jenkins · #7 (**permalink**) Fri Apr 12, 2002, 10:03pm

Quote:

Originally posted by harmbu
Am I correct that in OBR what the manager was attempting to do is acceptable? In Fed it is not.

Yes -- you are correct.

Bfair · #8 (**permalink**) Sat Apr 13, 2002, 07:56am

In OBR, unless your specific league rules allow differently, the DH could only have been in the game for the pitcher. When the DH enters defensively, the pitcher could be moved to a different batting position provided he was not required to leave due to excessive visits (which would not be the case at the changeover of a half inning). A pitcher moving to a defensive position would need to bat in the slot of the player he replaces defensively. Addtionally, once the change is accepted by the UIC and announced, the change would be official. Therefore, the DH would have been required to pitch to at least one batter due to his warmups.

Also note, a pitcher who had a DH batting for him is only allowed to switch to the another batting slot after making his change defensively. If such pitcher is attempting to enter the batting lineup while his team is on offense, he may only enter to replace the DH who is batting for him and only in that same batting slot as the DH.

In Fed, the DH and and person he bats for are locked into their batting positions. After re-reading your initial post, the coach would not have been allowed to move a pitcher from a #3 batting slot to a #6 batting slot. Changes in Fed, however, are not official until the player assumes the position and the ball is live. Therefore, despite the DH taking warmups between innings, he was not required to pitch since he had never officially entered the pitching position. The ultimate change allowed of bringing F8 into pitch was allowable in Fed.

Sounds like your partner correctly solved the problem he faced in the Fed game.

Just my opinion,

Freix