6.2.2 C - taking too much time
 

Fed game yesterday. I am HP. Pitcher is struggling to throw strikes. Starts taking FOREVER to pitch the ball. After saying a couple times, "hey guys, lets speed things up a bit" pitcher is still slow. I start visually counting (like a basketball ref) and the pitcher takes the hint and starts working faster.

My question is, if I had needed to issue a 1 ball penalty for taking more than 20 seconds to deliver the ball, what is the proper procedure to do this? Do you call time (kinda defeats the purpose of trying to speed up the game)? Do you let the pitcher remain on the rubber? Exactly how do I do this should I ever have cause to do it?

Calling time seems like a reasonable thing to do as you will likely confuse the pitcher, batter, catcher, coaches, scorekeeper, etc., if you just yell out "Ball!" without some sort of explanation.

"Time, that's a ball to the batter, the count is now 3-1, play."

Only slows it down once. You'll make up that time within 10 pitches. :cool: ;)

I umpire FP softball too, and I remember one time in a USSSA Girls' 16U tournament game, the team finished its turn and bat and its HC kept its players in a huddle in front of its dugout for approximately 55 seconds. The team took the field and F1 toed the Pitching Plate; I gave her the Stop Sign, said Batter Up, and then said Play Ball. The coach started to complain about his pitcher not getting any warm up pitches and I told him why she wasn't getting any. Both teams hustled onto the field after their bats the rest of the game.

MTD, Sr.

I've never refused any warm up pitches but have told to catcher to throw it down after 1 or 2. The beauty of this is that it only happens once in a game.

Call time, get your brush out and while cleaning the plate tell the catcher he needs to visit his pitcher and tell him to speed up delivery between pitches, significantly. I have never seen this rule applied, by the way, or done it myself, as preventive umpiring is better. Do it as soon as you notice, first inning.

If you call a ball you can bet money the offended manager will soon be complaining that opposing batters are stepping out of the box and a ball should be called.

Agree!

I would call time and then announce, "that is a 20 second violation, ball to the batter". Similar to how you call the 90 second rule violation in college except you don't call time in college.

Maybe you should all start wearing a whistle. FoxPro has some nice ones. :D:D