The best or the biggest game you have called

[Carroll G. Abbey]

Since this is the off season for softball....

What was the biggest or best game that you have had the
pleasure of being involved with as an umpire?

Fastpitch or Slowpitch

[TexBlue]

About 4 years ago I was fortunate enough to go to Herrin Illinois and call Nationals for PONY. I made it to the Championship game, between Redondo Beach, California and, of all teams, the Herrin, Illinois team. The game went 10 innings ending with the Redondo Beach winning. The coach asked me to tell the other team that they were the first team to score more than 2 runs against his pitcher in 2 years. They had won the State Championship in California for ASA and USSSA. We had everything in this game, HR's over the fence, double plays, pick off plays, squeeze plays. Herrin was ahead 3-2 going into the bottom of the 6th inning with a Redondo Beach runner on 3rd. The Herrin pitcher launched and I called the IP, sending the runner home to tie the game. Later, in the 8th inning, the score went to 4-4. Redondo Beach won it in the 10th with a squeeze play and one out.

That was a tough ride home for me, after calling that IP. But, I had been calling it all week and wasn't gonna stop it in the last game of the year. The coach didn't object too much. I've been up there a few times since and have always stopped in to buy some "Salameat" sausages from him. We still talk and I usually get Christmas cards from a couple of other parents of the kids up there. I saw 2 of them and a sister of another player on the team in Round Rock for Nationals last year and they all came by to make a point of saying hi. This was probably one of the top 5 games I've called. I'm still a novice compared to some of you guys, I've only called a little less than 2600 games now, but this one will always stick with me.

Rick

[azbigdawg]

I dont know how many of you call or are even familiar with 16" slowpitch, but I went to the mens Major in Iowa this spetember..I had a semifinal and the plate for the final. The semifinal was between a local team and a team from chicago. It was one of the best played games I have ever SEEN or umpired.

[bluezebra]

Worked the bases for an LA City AAAA Semi-Final game. If I recall, it was a 1-run game, and the winner took City Championship.

Worked the plate in a First Round CIF-Southern Section game. Home team pitcher (Big Bear HS) tossed a "perfecto".

Bob

[Steve M]

I've had "the King" a couple of times - the first one was long enough ago that he was still a really good pitcher. I've had a number of the big guys in men's fast pitch. I've had some games involving top-10 college teams and I've had some pretty good high school teams, too. I've had state finals, regional finals, college playoffs, but...

Probably my favorite was in the early part of a 16&U tournament with a really hard & accurate thrower against a not so hard but very good pitcher. Neither offense could get anything going. Fielders were making every "routine" play and the were also making the outstanding plays, the few times that they came up. This game ended 1-0, in favor of the hard thrower's team - she threw a perfect game (the losing pitcher threw a 3-hitter with no walks). The 1 run came from a homerun that was a line drive into center field - had this been hit early in the game, F8 would have caught the ball. This game lasted about 43 minutes. Incidently, these same teams met in the finals, with the same pitchers in the circle. The outcome was very different, 7-1 or something like that in favor of the other team. This tournament wasn't "important" for anything or anyone, other than the participants. I had the plate in this game. Each pitcher had over 10 K's with few strikes being called - the batters were swinging and the pitchers were right there.

[oppool]

Havent done as many BIG ONES as most in here have but I have to break mine down into 3 catagories

1. SP seniors

Did the 2003 60 Major + Championship finals SPA. 1st time doing 4 man and a wild game ended up something like 30-28


2. SP Adults

Worked the ASA Mens D 2002 Western National Championship Tournament. Great experience and hopefully next time I get to work a National I will be a little more relaxed and focused

3. FP High School

Got do a Private school Play-off game in my 1st year doing High School ball it was a heck of game went 14 innings in a 6-5 game that lasted over 3 hours

Don

[SamNVa]

Like Steve M, my favorite game was a regular season HS game between two local teams. Both pitchers were pitching fantasticallu and both defenses were really solid. I, or should I say they, had one inning that only took 7 pitches for the entire inning and that's because the 2nd batter in the home half of the inning fouled off the 1st pitch. The visitors ended up winning in 10 innings in classic FP style.

The #2 hitter for the visitors lead off the inning with a high bounding slap to F6 which she beat out on a close play. #3 and #4 hitters laid down perfect sacrifice bunts to move the runner to 3rd and she scored on a beautiful "seeing-eye" drag bunt by #5 which just managed to get between a hard charging F3 and F1 and ended up being fielded by F4 who was going to cover 1st. V#6 struck out on 3 pitches and the home team went 3-up, 3-down in their half to end the game after 68 monutes The visiting pitcher threw a perfect game and the home team pitcher only allowed 3 runners, a HBP early in the game and the two runners in the 10th.

SamC

[SWFLguy]

My favorite was a college doubleheader
between SUNY Cortland (NY) and Colgate University--
it was a cold spring afternoon and both coaches wanted
5 inning games---- total time 80 miutes !!!
All pitchers were consistently throwing knee to belt
high-- scores were 2-1 and 1-0.
Made up for a few of those 3+ hour high school games
when you get pitchers who can't find the strike zone.