Warning Pitchers

[streamdoc]

Now I know that we all hate to draw comparisons to baseball, but I have a situation that has been in my mind for some time. Here it is:

Home pitcher is pitching inside all game, and is throwing a rather nice game all together. However, her team is down by a couple of runs. She has one get away from her with a batter crowding the plate, and plunks the batter in the rear (batter turned to try and avoid contact). If the HBP was intentional, it was not so flagrant that I felt the need to do anything about it.

Next Inning, visiting pitcher sees a batter somewhat close to the plate, and throws one inside. Sure 'nough - hit batter. Now, I'm pretty sure that I see the pitcher give a little smirk.

My question, what do the rules dictate in these types of situations (rule book is unavailable right now)? Here are some possible options:

1. Toss visiting pitcher for what I believe was intentional.
2. Warn the visiting pitcher, and toss her next time?
3. Warn both benches after the home pitcher hit the batter (baseball reference). Toss both pitchers if anyone else gets hit, or toss the pitcher that hits a batter the next time?
4. Toss everyone out, go home early and spend the night filling out stacks of paper?
5. Other optoins?

Thanks,

[Steve M]

Troy,
You said "Now, I'm pretty sure that I see the pitcher give a little smirk." You are not sure enough to do anything if you are just pretty sure.

If you are absolutely sure, toss the pitcher and be ready to toss at least one of that pitcher's coaches.

Unsportsmanlike conduct gets zero warning, else you quite possibly will have a fight occur.

[bethsdad]

I pitched For about 10 years (LL - highschool) and never hit anyone on purpose. Most of the time if I did hit someone I had to turn toward 2nd because I was smiling. Brian

[JEL]

Originally posted by bethsdad
I pitched For about 10 years (LL - highschool) and never hit anyone on purpose. Most of the time if I did hit someone I had to turn toward 2nd because I was smiling. Brian

Had a batter get plunked a couple weeks back. Two teams from the same area. The hit batter when she started to first told the pitcher "I thought we was friends"! Everybody in earshot was smirking after that, except the pitcher and batter....they were cracking up!

[Blu_IN]

Well, I really only see one option here given what you said. Warn both dugouts firmly.

Unfortunately, by doing so you put yourself in a pickle soon as the next batter gets plunked intentional or not. Especially when you said yourself the one pitcher had been working the inside part of the plate all night.

But if you don't issue the warning, you are asking for more trouble.

[Dakota]

You didn't say how old these players were.

Assuming these were older players, unless things become obvious, let the players work it out. A little smirk is not even remotely obvious that this was intentional, IMO. Unless you are an expert in reading the body language of teenage girls (which, of course, no adult is).

[mcrowder]

There is no grounds for a warning, and no place for one. This is not baseball (and the MLB rule is ridiculous anyway). If you are sure of intent, toss. No warning necessary. If you aren't, don't ... and don't warn either - it's unnecessarily antagonistic, and will get you in more trouble than not warning (next inside pitch, and the coach will come out chirping for an ejection... and if you don't eject, and his pitcher hits someone - and you do, it gets worse).

[Dakota]

Originally posted by mcrowder
There is no grounds for a warning, and no place for one. This is not baseball (and the MLB rule is ridiculous anyway). If you are sure of intent, toss. No warning necessary. If you aren't, don't ... and don't warn either - it's unnecessarily antagonistic, and will get you in more trouble than not warning (next inside pitch, and the coach will come out chirping for an ejection... and if you don't eject, and his pitcher hits someone - and you do, it gets worse).

Agree completely. About the no warning, about the "nothing good can come from the warning", and about the MLB warning rule being ridiculous.