Humorous what's the count exchange

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

EXCEPT - only the PU thought is was a ball. No one else thought it was a ball. Look at the TV status display - it shows 0-1. The batter knew. The coach knew. The other umpires knew. There was no perceived need by anyone in the park to appeal so why would there be one? Sometimes you gotta fix things.

The problem is that you can't fix it because it wasn't called in the first place. It was a mistake by the PU.

This is why PU's should always give a count after a non-standard play when the ball isn't put in play, such as a steal or passed ball. This not only allows the PU to make sure his/her fellow umpires are on the same page, but also allows the defense (or offense) to question the call on the pitch.

Once the second pitch was delivered, they couldn't go back and appeal the original call which was a ball despite the swing and miss on the pitch. Had he indicated a count of 1-0 after the steal, then I'm sure Houston's coach, the catcher or the pitcher would have questioned it and the rest of the exchange would be non-existent.