What would be your call?

[LadyBlue]

I witnessed this in Babe Ruth Tournament Play last week in 15U boys State Games....

No outs , Batter has a 0 - 2 Count, Runners on 3rd & 2nd, R3 steals home on "PITCH" and gets hit by the "PITCH" @ the plate, ball in foul territory at fence afterwards.

Now this what the Umpire Crew did on the field..... PU called "Time, Dead Ball". Run scores and put original R2 on 3rd base. Ball on batter & continued from there with a 1-2 count on batter. Coaches were not happy!!!!

Now I have been Umpiring Babe Ruth & High School for 5 years and this is the first time I have seen this happen, but it did! In my mind at the time I thought quickly as if it were my game as PU and I would have ruled this....

"LIVE BALL", nothing on batter and ALL runners are free to advances as many bases as they want. When ball returns to Pitcher, Batter has a 0 - 2 count & still no outs. Let the play continue and if coach wants to "ASK" afterwards then I would award time to him to ask. I would then explain that it is a live ball because it was a "THROWN BALL" and say nothing else as to not give the Coach any ammunition to fire back at me!

What's your call???

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by LadyBlue

I witnessed this in Babe Ruth Tournament Play last week in 15U boys State Games....

No outs , Batter has a 0 - 2 Count, Runners on 3rd & 2nd, R3 steals home on "PITCH" and gets hit by the "PITCH" @ the plate, ball in foul territory at fence afterwards.

Now this what the Umpire Crew did on the field..... PU called "Time, Dead Ball". Run scores and put original R2 on 3rd base. Ball on batter & continued from there with a 1-2 count on batter. Coaches were not happy!!!!

Now I have been Umpiring Babe Ruth & High School for 5 years and this is the first time I have seen this happen, but it did! In my mind at the time I thought quickly as if it were my game as PU and I would have ruled this....

"LIVE BALL", nothing on batter and ALL runners are free to advances as many bases as they want. When ball returns to Pitcher, Batter has a 0 - 2 count & still no outs. Let the play continue and if coach wants to "ASK" afterwards then I would award time to him to ask. I would then explain that it is a live ball because it was a "THROWN BALL" and say nothing else as to not give the Coach any ammunition to fire back at me!

What's your call???

5.09 The ball becomes dead and runners advance one base, or return to their bases, without liability to be put out, when—
(h) Any legal pitch touches a runner trying to score; runners advance.

Then - it was a legal pitch so it has to be either a ball or a strike.

Umps got it right.

[LadyBlue]

Thanks, Rich!

[mbyron]

Same for FED:

The ball is dead when a pitch hits a runner (5-1-1a), and all runners move up 1 base (8-3-1a). The pitch is a ball or a strike (6-1-4).

[LadyBlue]

Again thanks, I am a SOFTBALL Ump and this is actually not covered in Softball rule book. For the fact she can't leave bag before release of pitch.

I would have an out on R3 for leaving bag early in Softball.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by LadyBlue

Again thanks, I am a SOFTBALL Ump ......

You are forgiven! (heh, heh, heh!)

Thanks for a good stitch.

[tballump]

LB

We are also assuming from the OP that the pitch was actually out of the strike zone. If the ball was in the strike zone and the umps ruled the pitch a ball just because it hit the runner, then that would be wrong.