Detached Equip - Ball foul

[Rita C]

Originally posted by Roger Greene
Rita,
Because it is a violation of the rules!!!!! There is a proscribed penalty that all first year umpires should be aware of.

BTW, all of the catchers I've seen wear their mask on their face, not their hand.

Roger Greene

I'm not a first year umpire. And I know it's the rules.

I'm just saying it's not like a hat that's been taken off. A catcher's mask is sometimes taken off as part of his job. I can see it as a natural movement for a catcher to reach out with his dominant hand that now has a mask, and stop a ball in foul territory.

I'll call it by the rules and I know it's the rules but it doesn't mean it's a stupid question to ask why.

Rita