protocol during pitching change

[John Robertson]

During a game last night my partner said something I had never heard before.

I was working the plate. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the defensive team made a mid-inning pitching change. In my experience in Ontario, it is customary for the base umpire to count the new pitcher's warm-up pitches and then inform the new pitcher of the game situation (e.g. how many out, where the baserunners are, and what the count on the batter is). When my partner didn't give the pitcher the "update" I did it and the game proceeded.

At the end of the inning I asked my partner about this and he said we were not supposed to inform the new pitcher about the number of outs, where the baserunners are, and so forth, because it is "considered coaching." This was news to me. Virtually every umpire I know does this as a matter of protocol. As I recall, years ago I was told at a clinic to definitely do this.

So my question is this: Are we supposed to tell a new pitcher where the baserunners are and how many outs there are, or is it just a falsehood that's been accepted over the years?