Foul Tip

[LRZ]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Should have been a foul ball. Impossible to see from the plate (depending on what happened after the .gif that they don't show us). ::shrug::

Did anyone ask the PU to ask for help--he's got three partners. If questioned, I'd go to my partner and ask what he had. Get it right, no?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by LRZ

Did anyone ask the PU to ask for help--he's got three partners. If questioned, I'd go to my partner and ask what he had. Get it right, no?

That's the issue.

[JRutledge]

Why can't the BU just make the call if they clearly see this? It was not even close. That was the reason Molina was hurt, the ball hit his thigh.

Peace

[LRZ]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Why can't the BU just make the call if they clearly see this? It was not even close. That was the reason Molina was hurt, the ball hit his thigh.

Peace

These reasons occur to me:
(1) Some version of "that's my call, unless I ask for your help." At my level, it's something to discuss in the pre-game; usually, we would treat this as something the BU could jump in quickly, like a 3d-strike pitch in the dirt or a shot that jumps up and hits the batter in the box.
(2) You can't overrule your partner. If he needs or wants your help, he'll ask for it.
(3) If your partner calls X, and you, equally positive, call Y, what a mess!

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by LRZ

These reasons occur to me:
(1) Some version of "that's my call, unless I ask for your help." At my level, it's something to discuss in the pre-game; usually, we would treat this as something the BU could jump in quickly, like a 3d-strike pitch in the dirt or a shot that jumps up and hits the batter in the box.
(2) You can't overrule your partner. If he needs or wants your help, he'll ask for it.
(3) If your partner calls X, and you, equally positive, call Y, what a mess!

When I worked baseball, this would have been discussed by me as the PU/UIC to have my partners call a foul ball immediately if they saw one on a play like this. If they did not see anything, then I would not expect them to make a call. But I discussed this so that they were empowered to do their job. Of course there were things I would have to ask about to be sure and sometimes that might be because the coach wanted to know something, but I already knew the answer by what we discussed in pregame with my partner.

Peace

[jicecone]

Do you think that maybe the No. 1 reason it probably wasn't called correctly was...........

NO ONE SAW IT!

PERHAPS

[JRutledge]

I think they did not see it. But based on how many other things MLB umpires have seen across the field or what clearly was not there call; if they didn't see it that is odd to me at least. And I am not being critical saying that, just do not know why they would not see this. Better yet I am surprised that no coach or team member on the Cubs did not say a thing either, other than complete ignorance (surprise) of the rule.

Peace

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

...if they didn't see it that is odd to me at least. And I am not being critical saying that, just do not know why they would not see this.

I can easily see why they would not see it. The ball's trajectory off the bat takes it pretty close to Yadi's mitt, at least from the gif video. It's not an obvious call where he goes down with the mitt on a low pitch, and the ball is then tipped and it hits his mask. U3 would be the only one who had an angle to tell, and it would still be too close to be sure.

[chapmaja]

The reason this likely was missed is simple. From the PU's point of view, it make have looked like it clipped the glove between when it left the bat and when it hit the catchers thigh. If it had hit the catchers glove, then the thigh and was subsequently controlled without touching the ground, it is a foul tip and thus strike 3 on the batter.

Looking at the play in slow motion, it looks like it might just clip the glove of the catcher going back. It certainly isn't a significant contact, but it might just graze the glove as it goes back, which satisfies the rule.