Handling the Catcher

[tankmjg24]

Had a 19U game today. Teams were both fairly good and the games were competitive. F2 was a good player but had a bit of a mouth on him. Majority of his comments were being directed at his own team, but as the game continued and things started getting close comments started to be geared towards me.

Throughout the game, on a couple of close pitches, he would turn and ask where the pitch missed. I commented and he said alright and the game continued. After one of these interactions, he said back to me that it was a good pitch and I had to call it a strike. My response was that the pitch was inside, being between the plate and white line of the batters box, and was not a strike. He shoots back at me "you mean you are not giving two balls off the plate" to which I reply no. Coach comes out to talk to F1 and F2 follows. I can hear him tell the coach that I am not giving them anything and that he is going to have to throw the ball right down the middle of the plate. I ignore, and the game continues. A few batters later, pitch comes in high to which I call ball on. F2 turns again and asks where the pitch missed, to which I state high, and he then requests time to talk to his pitcher. As he is walking out to the pitcher, he says to him "come on Jimmy, you are going to have to throw it right down the middle of the plate, he is giving us nothing." After F2 returns and is behind home plate, I quietly take my mask off and clean home plate. In the process, I look at F2 and tell him "If I hear one more smart ass comment about the strike zone, you will be spending the rest of the game in the dugout, do you understand me?" F2 looks at me and says yes sir and the game continues without incident.

I usually do not like to give out ultimatums, but in this incident I figured it would get my point across to F2. I also usually never curse on the field, but again with the player being 19 I felt that this would make a statement. After I made these comments, F2 never said another negative word towards me and the game continued without incident.

So how does everyone think I handled this situation, and what are some of your ways of handling a catcher that begins to question balls and strikes?

Thanks