"correcting" a partner
 

Wondering how you guys would have handled this. 2nd inning of a ridiculously long 16 C game (teams were a stretch to be called C, and the first inning took 53 minutes). Team who is up to bat by a large amount of runs is batting. I'm field ump in C. Batter receives another ball four and she goes to 1st, forcing the runner at 1st to 2nd. Then, the offensive coach comes out and starts talking to my partner. After a moment, I see my partner raise his right arm as if calling an out and the girl on first walks back to the dugout. I think he has called her out for batting out of order (but I can't hear anything with the wind whipping around, and he's not looking in my direction). At this point these things went through my mind...

- The offensive coach cannot appeal batting out of order.
- If he did call her out, he's called the wrong player out.
- If it was batting out of order, then the runner on 2nd needs to return.
- Is this a place I need to interject myself?

I chose to say nothing. As stated, the offensive was up by at least 15. If this was a closer game played by better teams I think I would have needed to be involved. After the game I tried to explain to my partner that the situation needed to be handled differently, but he only kept saying "are you sure? I thought it was supposed to be...".

So what say you? Would you have stepped in?

I'm a coach, not an umpire. Seems to me the offensive coach was trying not to run up the score by giving an out. This is always somewhat embarrassing to the losing team. I think you did right by not interjecting and prolonging the situation. You might have asked him what the call was after the game.

Was she off the base?
If a meaningful moment, could you have asked "anything I need to know?"?

And I know you can judge the expertise of your partner.

Cecil said...
Was she off the base?
If a meaningful moment, could you have asked "anything I need to know?"?

Wasn't off base. It seemed to me like he was going with the batting out of order, but with the wind howling and the fact that he never looked my way, I was guessing. At that moment, I thought if I went in to ask him, the first thing to address would have been that offensive couldn't appeal, and I'm not sure where that road would have led us.

I definitely would have gone to my partner to find out what was going on.

In a situation like this, where it is not immediately apparent what the call or the situation is, both umpires need to know what happened.

You never did say, but was it a batting out of order situation?

I would talk about it after the game. He did not ask for your help while the situation was happening, so trust him to make the correct call. As you said you did not know what was going on.

Two questions:

What was the ruling? and
Why were you in C with just a runner on 1st? :)

I think that implies a runner at 3rd. :rolleyes:

- I should have been clearer. I was in C with runners on 1st and 3rd.
- After the game, my partner did indeed clarify that the call was batting out of order. We had no real time to discuss because both of us were off to another field.
- Beyond the misapplications, I wondered what the mechanics would have been if I did go in to talk to my partner. Runner has to return to first because of improper appeal? Say no words to the defensive coach when he asks what's happening? Or just say "that was an improper appeal" ? In those few seconds I had to put the pieces together, doing nothing seemed like the least intrusive thing to do.

Just tell the coach he cannot make that appeal.

Still doesn't make sense for the batter who actually batted to be called out. What am I missing? :confused:

Cecil said...
" Still doesn't make sense for the batter who actually batted to be called out. What am I missing?"

That was the problem from the beginning. My partner didn't know how to handle the situation.