ML blown call?

[alex7]

From today's Pirates/Rockies game:

"Delwyn Young swung and missed at Jhoulys Chacin's 0-1 cutter for strike two, but the ball hit Young on the leg and ricocheted toward the Pirates' third-base dugout. Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta asked home plate umpire Mike DiMuro for a new ball not knowing the original ball, ruled a wild pitch, was still in play. A heads-up Doumit raced home before Iannetta knew what had happened."

The runner from 3rd scored on this play. Reading the "pitch hits batter on hand on 3rd strike thread", the recurring theme was that anytime a pitch hits a batter while swinging, it's a dead ball.

Is this just at the HS level? Or did DiMuro and his crew somehow miss an easy one?

Full wrap-up: Pittsburgh vs. Colorado - August 11, 2009 | MLB.com: Gameday

[alex7]

Here's the link:

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | PIT@COL: Doumit's heads-up baserunning has Bucs ahead - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

[bisonpitcher]

I thought the same thing when I saw that on Sportscenter.

[jicecone]

Easy call?

Sitting in your living room and watching 13 replays and 3 paragraphs of media coverage is an "Easy Call"

Being behind the plate or at the game and missing the call was not easy. HP ump was blocked out by batter and the batter did take a full swing. It also seems quite possible that the runner thought it was a dropped ball too.

Should it have been a dead ball? yea but, it obvious that it wasn't because they didn't call it.

[kylejt]

WTF

over.

Okay, you MLB umpire butt kissers, 'splain that one to me, Lucy.

And how does Jim Tracy not know the rules? What on Earth did the PU say to him, to make him walk away from putting that runner back to 3rd? I mean the BR is on the ground in pain!

How does U1 or U3 NOT call time, and fix this?

Okay, I get the announcers don't know, that's okay. They get a pass.

Alright, I watched it again, and U3 was probably blocked out by R3 ( He shouldn't have, because he's got checkswings on lefties). U1 didn't have an angle on ball hitting the back leg. U2 is too far away. I'm just guessing the PU thought the ball bounced off the catcher. Yow, that's awful.

Bottom line: U3 has to see this. That's his job.

[tibear]

4 umpires and nobody saw the batter get hit?????? Come on guys, somethings wrong.

From the coach's reaction, the PU must have told him that the ball didn't hit him. Hard to argue a rule interpretation when the umpires are blind to the situation.

I expect more from a major league crew.........

[Ump Rube]

Originally Posted by kylejt

WTF

over.

Okay, you MLB umpire butt kissers, 'splain that one to me, Lucy.

And how does Jim Tracy not know the rules? What on Earth did the PU say to him, to make him walk away from putting that runner back to 3rd? I mean the BR is on the ground in pain!

Sure didn't look like pain to me, looked like he swung and missed with too much power and ended up on his backside. Sure got up quickly too.

How does U1 or U3 NOT call time, and fix this?

Not their call to make. BUT, it is not as though it drilled him it merely grazed him, and then got shin-guard, from 120' away at a 45* angle to this I can see how it may go unnoticed. If you notice even the pitcher is coming in and trying to get the ball to make a play.

Okay, I get the announcers don't know, that's okay. They get a pass.

Don't give them a pass, that is why they can get away with what they say.

Alright, I watched it again, and U3 was probably blocked out by R3 ( He shouldn't have, because he's got checkswings on lefties). U1 didn't have an angle on ball hitting the back leg. U2 is too far away. I'm just guessing the PU thought the ball bounced off the catcher. Yow, that's awful.

Bottom line: U3 has to see this. That's his job.

His job here is the check-swing. Nothing else.

[johnnyg08]

They're not going to get them all right...those are tough calls.

[tibear]

Every clinic I've attended has taught that ALL umpires on the field have equal responsibility when they know 100% that a batter has been hit.

The reasoning is that as stated in earlier posts, the ball moves so fast that sometimes the PU can't see the ball hit the batter. Similarly, if the ball is thrown behind the batter and grazes the batter the PU simply can't see it but the field umpires might. They have a responsibility to call it.

[GA Umpire]

From the angle at 3B, there is no way to tell if that ball hit the batter or the catcher's glove and took off. And, how can you go by sound over 100 feet away.

This is just a case of bad luck. The only thing that any one could have gone by is F2's reaction. It's not like the sound would have been that loud and the batter wasn't hobbling around or anything after the hit.

Watching it in regular play, I couldn't tell if it hit the batter and I agree with Rube. It looked like he swung so hard that he spun himself in the ground. Tough break. Even the manager wasn't sure b/c he didn't argue very much.

[Bishopcolle]

I think their only mistake was NOT coming together and talk about it....Somebody would have gotten it right with a "powwow."

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Ump Rube

Not their call to make.

See correct answer below:

Originally Posted by tibear

Every clinic I've attended has taught that ALL umpires on the field have equal responsibility when they know 100% that a batter has been hit.

The reasoning is that as stated in earlier posts, the ball moves so fast that sometimes the PU can't see the ball hit the batter. Similarly, if the ball is thrown behind the batter and grazes the batter the PU simply can't see it but the field umpires might. They have a responsibility to call it.

Yes, it is equal responsibilty when 100% sure that a batter has been hit. The BU (or in this case, BUs) should immediatelly chime in when it is apparent that the PU did not see the ball hit the batter for whatever reason.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by alex7

Is this just at the HS level? Or did DiMuro and his crew somehow miss an easy one?

The latter.

6.08(b) and APPROVED RULING

5.09(a)

[Ump Rube]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

See correct answer below:

Yes, it is equal responsibilty when 100% sure that a batter has been hit. The BU (or in this case, BUs) should immediatelly chime in when it is apparent that the PU did not see the ball hit the batter for whatever reason.

Unfortunately this scenario has never seem to come up in the clinics I have been to. (Never seems to be anything more then how to signal contact.)

I would definitely offer help on a throw behind the back where the HPU is unable to see the contact. But I would have a hard time calling the contact on the front of the body from the BU position, without having a request from the HPU. To go further I think it woudl be harder in a situation with a check-swing where the HPU obviously had the available vision to see the swing. In regards to this specific play, I don't think that anyone was 100% sure of what had happened which may have been the reason for call.

I understand the reasoning for this mechanic (for lack of a possibly better word), but I don't feel comfortable applying it on the field without checking with my league/association. (No offense to those of you on this board, I just would rather double-check with a phone call before, then deal with the other phone call after I use it and have a PO'd UIC on me.)

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Ump Rube

I would definitely offer help on a throw behind the back where the HPU is unable to see the contact. But I would have a hard time calling the contact on the front of the body from the BU position, without having a request from the HPU.

Whether the pitch is behind the batter or in front, it is likely that the PU was screened somehow, and if another umpire sees the ball hit the batter, and it is obvious that the PU did not, the umpire(s) that sees it should call it. How is the PU supposed to know to ask until someone points it out? And by that time the sh!tstorm has already began.