Fair or Foul and getting help

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

I saw this on a slow pitch game last week via video.

Batter ball is hit with a lot of spin down the 3b line. F5 charges and attempts to field the ball. Ball comes close to hitting the glove of F5 before spinning into foul territory. The umpire calls the ball fair, saying it hit off F5's glove. After a throwing error on the play, the batter runner ends up on third.

The defense's "coach" who also happens to be F5 (and also an umpire), asks the PU to ask his partner for help. In this case the partner had a very good view of the location of the ball and the defender.

Question: If you are the PU do you go to your partner for help on this call?

In this play, the PU did go for help and the correct call (foul ball) was made. The ball had come about a foot from hitting the glove of F5 and went into foul territory untouched where it settled motionless (as the defense thought it was foul).

I know once it is called foul, you can't call it fair, but if it is called fair, can you get together and call it foul?

I think the most important thing is to get the call right, and they did.

I admit that the only slow pitch that I umpire is Special Olympics, which uses ASA Rules. So my knowledge of slow pitch mechanics is that the BU has only two positions during the game: "A" and "B". That leaves me with the following question: "How could the BU have a good look at the location of the Ball and the Defender?

MTD, Sr.