International tie breaker - ejected player

D. Williams · #1 (**permalink**) Mon Apr 22, 2002, 03:06pm

A 14U team I coach was in a tournament where we were allowed to bat our roster. One of my players was ejected for throwing his bat. The umpire told me that since I did not have a substitute, the ejected player's turn at bat would be an automatic out. The game ended in a tie, so we went to international tie-breaker with runner on second and one out. My ejected player was the last recorded out for us in the previous inning, so the umpire ruled that we were not allowed to have a base runner, and we would start the inning with two outs instead of one. Was this correct?

bob jenkins · #2 (**permalink**) Mon Apr 22, 2002, 04:51pm

Quote:

Originally posted by D. Williams
A 14U team I coach was in a tournament where we were allowed to bat our roster. One of my players was ejected for throwing his bat. The umpire told me that since I did not have a substitute, the ejected player's turn at bat would be an automatic out. The game ended in a tie, so we went to international tie-breaker with runner on second and one out. My ejected player was the last recorded out for us in the previous inning, so the umpire ruled that we were not allowed to have a base runner, and we would start the inning with two outs instead of one. Was this correct?

It's not covered in any "official" rules that I know of. IF it's not in the tournament rules, then the umpire gets to decide.

It's not what I would have done, BTW.

D. Williams · #3 (**permalink**) Mon Apr 22, 2002, 05:03pm

What would you have done?

Marty Rogers · #4 (**permalink**) Mon Apr 22, 2002, 09:16pm

Why didn't you guys just flip a coin?

I've never heard of such a thing
as an intentional tie breaker.

Rich Ives · #5 (**permalink**) Mon Apr 22, 2002, 11:05pm

There are a couple of international boards on http://www.umpire.org, you might try there

bluezebra · #6 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 23, 2002, 12:36am

Quote:

Originally posted by Marty Rogers
Why didn't you guys just flip a coin?

I've never heard of such a thing
as an intentional tie breaker.

It's in fast pitch softball. This is the first time I've heard of it being used in baseball.

Bob

Roger Greene · #7 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 23, 2002, 07:54am

Did a USSSA baseball tournament last weekend. The TD used the ITB for games up to the championship game. First time I've seen it used in baseball.

Roger Greene

TwoBits · #8 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 23, 2002, 09:25am

The USSSA park that I ump in uses the "California Tie-Breaker" which is the same thing except that there are no outs to start the extra inning.

Don't know what I would have done in this situation, but it will make for an interesting discussion in the umpire's locker room next weekend.

D. Williams · #9 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 23, 2002, 09:39am

He said that I should not have been charged with an automatic out when the ejected player's turn at bat came because I was still batting more than nine players. He said the only time you take an automatic out is when you drop to less than nine players.

Bottom line is this is the kind of stuff that happens when you start monkeying with the rules. When you make ground rules, it is difficult, if not impossible to plan for every contingency.

TwoBits · #10 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 23, 2002, 10:29am

I disagree with that statement. In all divisions I ump where an EH (extra hitter so you can bat 10) is allowed, if you start with 10, you finish with 10 or take the out.

bob jenkins · #11 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 23, 2002, 10:59am

Quote:

Originally posted by D. Williams
What would you have done?

I would not have charged the out for the missing player.

Even if I had, I would have allowed the previous batter to run at second at the start of the next inning.