First game of season

[mbyron]

I have my first game of the season today (Ohio's season started yesterday). Forecast is 60°F (16°C) and sun.

I'll have the plate. As Carl used to say, "I always have the plate."

[kylejt]

Don't suck

[cc6]

Good luck. I have to wait another month.

[FTVMartin]

DH on Wednesday. Rain in the forecast though. Might have to wait until Thursday to get started.

[johnnyg08]

First games for me...DH on Sunday...pending 70's and sunny for the next few days (not going to happened), there will be snow on my field...I'm preparing my layers...in MN, if they can play, they'll play. the outdoor college season is very short in MN

[mbyron]

Well, I didn't suck.

Saw an intriguing set play. Home team down by about 8 in the early innings, bases loaded, 2 outs. They sub for the batter, and the sub seems to be a mentally challenged boy.

First pitch is a called strike down the middle. Second is a high fastball, batter swings weakly for strike 2.

On the third pitch, R3 takes off. The catcher reaches out over the plate, and the batter swings and hits his mitt. PU calls "catcher's obstruction!" Batter awarded 1B and all runners advance!

We talked about the play after the game, and my partner asked whether I thought that the batter might have been late swinging, and just trying to hit the mitt. "How late is too late?" he asked. I said, "that's the PU's judgment: we have to judge whether he's swinging at the pitch."

The opposing coach asked about batter interference with the play at home, but the ball was already dead on the CO.

[JR12]

Good Call!

[chartrusepengui]

First game tomorrow. Supposed to be a balmy 41. Today light flurries and a high of 38. Anybody use electric socks and tights?

[johnnyg08]

tights...all the time, all year, always. electric socks...never.

[BretMan]

My first "game" of the season wasn't officially a game- it was a scrimmage. And it wasn't just "a" scrimmage. It was three games, a three-way triple header between three different teams! They limited the games to a two-hour time limit (finishing the inning) and each game took two hours, plus change. I did the bases for the first game, then the plate for the next two. Wound up working a total of 17 innings in over six hours of baseball.

My first scheduled "real" game was cancelled due to a downpour the previous day that turned the field into a swamp.

Finally, last night, a real game! Varsity game between two inner city schools that was an error-filled affair. 13-3 run-rule victory for the visiting team, in six innings that took two hours.

Some highlights:

- We called three balks. One where the pitcher started his pitching motion from the set position, then stopped when he glanced at an advancing runner. Another similar one where the pitcher began his move to the plate, then threw to a base on a steal. One where the pitcher did an jump-turn move to first, but failed to throw the ball.

- Twice, had a pitcher throw to third base with a runner on third, where F5 was playing away from the bag. Offensive coaches wanted a balk, but we weren't giving it to them (because it's not a balk).

- A routine infield fly call that turned into a three-ring circus when the second baseman botched the catch. Runners thought that they had to advance, the defense threw to second base thinking it was a force out and the runner from first thought he was out and walked off the field and into the dugout. Now he was out! This one had timing play implications, as one runner slid across the plate a few seconds before the plate umpire called the other runner out for abandonment (he was the third out).

- A batting out of order call that was discovered before the improper batter completed his turn at bat. He was replaced by the correct batter without penalty. Still, the defensive coach wanted us to call somebody out. Sorry, Coach, that's not the way it works...

- I had three swipe tags at first base, due to three wild throws by infielders.

- We had two rundowns that where nicely bracketed on both ends by me and my partner.

- I had an obstruction call against F3 who was daydreaming as the batter-runner rounded first base on a hit to the outfield, causing a collision and an award of second base.

Just another typical fun day at the ballpark!

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Well, I didn't suck.

Saw an intriguing set play. Home team down by about 8 in the early innings, bases loaded, 2 outs. They sub for the batter, and the sub seems to be a mentally challenged boy.

First pitch is a called strike down the middle. Second is a high fastball, batter swings weakly for strike 2.

On the third pitch, R3 takes off. The catcher reaches out over the plate, and the batter swings and hits his mitt. PU calls "catcher's obstruction!" Batter awarded 1B and all runners advance!

We talked about the play after the game, and my partner asked whether I thought that the batter might have been late swinging, and just trying to hit the mitt. "How late is too late?" he asked. I said, "that's the PU's judgment: we have to judge whether he's swinging at the pitch."

The opposing coach asked about batter interference with the play at home, but the ball was already dead on the CO.

Interesting play! I'm trying to knock free the cobwebs on this one. I suppose that if the PU judges the batter was not offering at the pitch, the correct call would be interference on the batter? What if there weren't any runners stealing?

[Blue37]

Originally Posted by mbyron

We talked about the play after the game, and my partner asked whether I thought that the batter might have been late swinging, and just trying to hit the mitt. "How late is too late?" he asked. I said, "that's the PU's judgment: we have to judge whether he's swinging at the pitch."

I don't think "too late" would occur while the pitch is a pitch and it might not be "too late" even after it is no longer a pitch if the catcher has reached forward.

I have typed and deleted and typed and deteled trying to quantify "too late". I started with "until it hits the mitt", then moved to "until possessed by the catcher", and finally stopped with "until the catcher moves forward to throw", but decided none of them were correct.

I love the way your phrased it. We do have to judge whether he is swinging at the pitch or the mitt. Unless it is obvious to everyone in the park, I would be extremely reluctant to judge he was not swinging at the pitch. Just as a fielder has absolute protection while in the act of fielding, I look at a batter as having an absolute right to attempt to hit a pitch.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Interesting play! I'm trying to knock free the cobwebs on this one. I suppose that if the PU judges the batter was not offering at the pitch, the correct call would be interference on the batter? What if there weren't any runners stealing?

Not necessarily. It wouldn't be BI unless F2 were trying to make a play. Merely bumping him does not constitute interference. In the play I saw, you might get BI since R3 was stealing.

Still catcher's obstruction/interference. In the set play, the purpose of having R3 attempt to steal is not actually to steal the base, but rather to entice F2 into reaching over the plate for the pitch.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by mbyron

The opposing coach asked about batter interference with the play at home, but the ball was already dead on the CO.

That is not correct. After obstruction the ball is not dead until the end of playing action; obstructing the batter is included under this.