Three wrongs don't make a right
 

High school quarterfinal game is utilizing 3-umpire system. I am on the plate.

With no outs, R1 on first, U1 is on the line and U3 is in rotated position behind 2B.

B2 (a RH batter) hits a ground ball that I see pass over the orange portion of the double base. Before I can call “foul ball”, U1 is giving an animated fair ball signal. I did not make a call after seeing that.

The ball is now between the RF foul line and a chain link fence with F9 chasing it down.

R1 has intentions of going to 3B and as she passes 2B I call out that I have third base. As I look back to see if U1 is covering home, I see that he has come inside the diamond but he’s started to take B2 rounding first base to second base. U3 may have alerted him that she was already at second base, and U1 aborted his plan of taking B2 to 2B. However, he is just aimlessly in the infield.

The defense has retrieved the ball and F4 now has possession of it in the shallow outfield. There are no bobbles or drops and F4 runs the ball into the infield. B2 made it to 2B without a throw. I am about 15’ from 3B in fair territory and thankful that R1 didn’t try going home. U1 never got there and I would be in a bad position to make a call at home plate.

Once action ceased, I called time to allow all umpires to re-set to their new positions.

On this field, the home coach leans against the backstop pole that is right in line with 1B foul line extended.

As I’m coming back to the plate area, he approached me and said: “Blue, that was a foul ball.”

What do you do?

I'll go first.......It's the U1's call once the hit ball reached the base. I believe you did everything correct. After the ball becomes dead, you can discuss the fair/foul call with the 3 of you. But ultimately it's U1's decision to stick with the call, or take your thoughts on the call & reverse to foul. His poor rotation on the play has nothing to do with the call. Also the coaches opinion on the call, means even less. "Coach, U1 was closer to the play, and had a better look then either of us". Then, the post game to clear the air.

The coach needs to discuss the play with U1 and not with PU and U1 needs to initiate any discussion amongst the umpires.

Changing the call *might* be worse than leaving it alone (depending on how clear it is to everyone that the ball was really foul) -- I can only imagine the discussion with the other coach on this.

Plate has fair/foul on all plays, unless U1 or U3 is on a foul line at the time of the pitch and chases a flyball. On this play it is the plates call for the ball down the line.
Address the rotation mistake at the end of the half inning and request that all umpires communicate when they move to cover another base.

Honestly, in this case, as a plate umpire, I would have come up with an emphatic FOUL BALL! Plates call with ground ball between plate and base with umpire on the line. Of course you would have had a discussion with the offensive coach at this point. I'd explain to him that it was my call as a plate umpire. Then after the game I would have a discussion with the U1 umpire....

Duke has the answer on this one!

How it played out...
 

Despite our pre-game review of responsibilities for chasing, base coverage, tag up responsibility, etc., we still ended up in this situation.

In the moment, I had a split-second to make a decision to call a foul ball or allow U1's call to stand. My immediate concern was to avoid a situation where 2 different officials call the same play out and safe. And I didn't want to appear to be "overruling" a partner.

We did get together to discuss after play had ceased. U1 immediately acknowledged his error in making the call in the first place. Again, considering the optics of the situation, we agreed to stay with his call. As mentioned in earlier posts, changing at that point would have brought on additional chaos. He was 12 feet away from the call and I was 68 feet away.

I was thinking about a batted ball being called foul that might have actually been fair, and how we typically don't "un-ring that bell". But how about the reverse, which is this situation?

Now, if I'm in a similar situation in a future game, I likely would opt to make the foul call. And in the pre-game discussion, I'd be sure to bring this situation up as an example of what not to do. Pre-pitch planning is very important in the 3 umpire system, particularly in situations where the officials haven't had a lot of experience with it.

You can un-ring a fair ball call. Actually had this happen last year in a HS game. I was on the line at first base. A little flare just over the first base bag that clearly hit foul just in back of the bag. My plate ump indicated fair. Runner kind of slowed going to first and most of the fielders stopped on the play. After the runner got to first, my plate ump figured he may have missed the call based on the actions of the players and myself. He was blocked out by the runner and first base player. He consulted with me and we overturned the fair call to foul.