Correct Mechanics?

[bas2456]

I was at a high school game recently and this play happened:

Man on first, two outs. Batter hits a gapper to right-center. Batter is going for three and is thrown out. Home plate umpire says run does not score before the out at third. He signals this by making the "safe" signal. Defense's manager is confused, thinking umpire counted the run.

Was this the correct mechanic?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by bas2456

I was at a high school game recently and this play happened:

Man on first, two outs. Batter hits a gapper to right-center. Batter is going for three and is thrown out. Home plate umpire says run does not score before the out at third. He signals this by making the "safe" signal. Defense's manager is confused, thinking umpire counted the run.

Was this the correct mechanic?

No, he should have had his hands in front of his face waving them emphatically, almost like a football referee signaling Time Out, while loudly proclaiming "No run, no run!"

[bossman72]

Originally Posted by bas2456

I was at a high school game recently and this play happened:

Man on first, two outs. Batter hits a gapper to right-center. Batter is going for three and is thrown out. Home plate umpire says run does not score before the out at third. He signals this by making the "safe" signal. Defense's manager is confused, thinking umpire counted the run.

Was this the correct mechanic?

Technically he's correct, but the signal should be overhead and not a "safe" signal at shoulder height.

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by bas2456

I was at a high school game recently and this play happened:

Man on first, two outs. Batter hits a gapper to right-center. Batter is going for three and is thrown out. Home plate umpire says run does not score before the out at third. He signals this by making the "safe" signal. Defense's manager is confused, thinking umpire counted the run.

Was this the correct mechanic?

The guy on first needs to unhitch the cart.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by bas2456

I was at a high school game recently and this play happened:

Man on first, two outs. Batter hits a gapper to right-center. Batter is going for three and is thrown out. Home plate umpire says run does not score before the out at third. He signals this by making the "safe" signal. Defense's manager is confused, thinking umpire counted the run.

Was this the correct mechanic?

Why would an umpire signal safe at the plate when there's no play there?

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Why would an umpire signal safe at the plate when there's no play there?

He wasn't signaling safe, it seems that he was using the safe signal to wipe off the run.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by mbyron

He wasn't signaling safe, it seems that he was using the safe signal to wipe off the run.

Exactly. Same way I'd wipe off a basket in basketball. He should signal 2-3 times and turn and vocalize "no run, no run."

[MrUmpire]

A long time ago, at a proschool far, far away, the mechanic that was taught was to cross your forearms in front and about head heighth, and say, "the run does not score."

When the run did score, we would point at the plate and say, "score the run."

But again, that was a long time ago.

[bas2456]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Exactly. Same way I'd wipe off a basket in basketball. He should signal 2-3 times and turn and vocalize "no run, no run."

But in basketball, it's easy to interpret that signal. In baseball, that signal is used to indicate "the runner made it to the base safely" so I can see where the coach got confused.

[bas2456]

Originally Posted by zm1283

The guy on first needs to unhitch the cart.

Agreed

[johnnyg08]

So the mechanic was wrong, but the call was correct...doesn't make any difference in the play..."coach, the run doesn't count." End of discussion.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

So the mechanic was wrong, but the call was correct...doesn't make any difference in the play..."coach, the run doesn't count." End of discussion.

Okay, that's a simple way of conveniently closing the discussion, but the OP was about the mechanic itself, not the call or the explanation to the coach. So, the discussion is not necessarily closed at your request.

If we went by when the discussion should have ended, it would have ended after post #2, where I gave the correct mechanic.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Okay, that's a simple way of conveniently closing the discussion, but the OP was about the mechanic itself, not the call or the explanation to the coach. So, the discussion is not necessarily closed at your request.

If we went by when the discussion should have ended, it would have ended after post #2, where I gave the correct mechanic.

Waving your hands in front of your face is the correct mechanic? Most everyone else is describing waving off the run by moving the hands/arms back and forth while extending them over one's head.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Okay, that's a simple way of conveniently closing the discussion, but the OP was about the mechanic itself, not the call or the explanation to the coach. So, the discussion is not necessarily closed at your request.

If we went by when the discussion should have ended, it would have ended after post #2, where I gave the correct mechanic.

Yeah, I guess I was referring to the "on the field" discussion.

No thread stops after only two posts!

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

Waving your hands in front of your face is the correct mechanic? Most everyone else is describing waving off the run by moving the hands/arms back and forth while extending them over one's head.

I meant to say arms, but said hands. I originally had it like a football ref signaling time out, but realized the arms shouldn't be that extended and quickly changed my post, because it could easily be confused with a time out signal. That's why the hands should be just above the head, not arms fully extended. In my haste to change my post, I inadvertently said hands.