That was a tough call

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by umpjim

Top 7 WS, ball down the line, Moyers does a great shovel from the glove to 1B who barehands it. Baserunner is too quick and is called safe on the play. Replay to me shows runner was out and ump was moving when he called it. I don't know what angle would have helped but I would have been busting to 90 to the throw and I would try to be stopped on the call. I suspect even with me busting (not that fast) I would still not have the angle and the throw going to the hand instead of the glove would have made it a guess.

Football guy here but I umpired softball while in college. One thing I recall was a lot of this kind of play relies on sound (glove-bag or bag-glove). Is that an actual mechanic you baseball guys use or was that a lazy mechanic taught to a rec-league softball guy? If that is the right mechanic, did this because a harder call because the "throw" was so short and barehanded by the 1st baseman? There was likely no sound of the catch.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by bisonlj

Football guy here but I umpired softball while in college. One thing I recall was a lot of this kind of play relies on sound (glove-bag or bag-glove). Is that an actual mechanic you baseball guys use or was that a lazy mechanic taught to a rec-league softball guy? If that is the right mechanic, did this because a harder call because the "throw" was so short and barehanded by the 1st baseman? There was likely no sound of the catch.

Listening for the pop of the glove is great when you are set for the play and the play is routine. Plays like this one you certainly can't depend on sound. You have to get set far enough from the play to see the runner's foot, and F3 catching the ball at the same time.

[umpjim]

Thanks guys, I reversed 2SF to 2FS so it didn't make sense to me. That location might work and I've never used it at my level but I can see why it may be the preferred mechanic at the college level. Still, this one was sight over sound. Good luck.

[Rich]

Didn't cost my Phillies the game, anyway. 5-4, Phils, Game 4 tomorrow.

I think Culbreth's strike zone was outstanding tonight.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Didn't cost my Phillies the game, anyway. 5-4, Phils, Game 4 tomorrow.

I think Culbreth's strike zone was outstanding tonight.

Fanboy...

[Rita C]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Didn't cost my Phillies the game, anyway. 5-4, Phils, Game 4 tomorrow.

I think Culbreth's strike zone was outstanding tonight.

It cost Jamie the win.

Rita

[SanDiegoSteve]

And his sidekick, Fangirl.


GO RAYS

[Rita C]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

And his sidekick, Fangirl.


GO RAYS

I was rooting for Jamie because I have always liked him. He is a gentleman of the first order. I wanted him to hold the record for being the oldest pitcher to have a win in the World Series. So I was disappointed that he didn't get it.

Other than that I'm enjoying having two teams in the series who either haven't been there or haven't been there in a while.

Rita

[UES]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Listening for the pop of the glove is great when you are set for the play and the play is routine. Plays like this one you certainly can't depend on sound. You have to get set far enough from the play to see the runner's foot, and F3 catching the ball at the same time.

I did not see the play so I don't know what angle U1 had but I agree with SDS - distance away from the play is key. Because of the lack of sound, you're best bet is to swing all the away around into the baseline between first and second and get a "track meet" finish line angle of the play. If U1 wasn't set for the play, I would assume he attempted to get to this angle but just didn't get there fast enough.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Didn't cost my Phillies the game, anyway. 5-4, Phils, Game 4 tomorrow.

I think Culbreth's strike zone was outstanding tonight.

I had just given a 20-minute clinic to a team on the strike zone yesterday morning. (As we all know, many players get all the way to college without knowing what the strike zone really is and how it can sometimes be interpreted.) So after spelling it all out to a bunch of wide-eyed players, then we have Fieldin Culbreth behind the plate with all of those cameras and K-zones, and any of those players who watched that game got a GREAT course on ...1) how a pitcher's umpire's strike zone works, and 2) how a great off-speed pitcher plays around with a pitcher's umpire masterfully.

What a GREAT lesson that game was!