Injured Pitcher

[rj]

This is a High School Game:
Coach calls time and replaces his starting pitcher because she has a sore shoulder. He asks that because he's replacing his pitcher due to injury his replacement pitcher get as many warm-up pitches as needed; which is granted.
He immediately sends his starting pitcher to center field as a substitute for his center fielder. Is this legal? Does the injured pitcher have to leave the game? If she doesn't have to leave the game, does the replacement pitcher still get as many warm-up pitches as need or does she only get five?

[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by rj

This is a High School Game:
Coach calls time and replaces his starting pitcher because she has a sore shoulder. He asks that because he's replacing his pitcher due to injury his replacement pitcher get as many warm-up pitches as needed; which is granted.
He immediately sends his starting pitcher to center field as a substitute for his center fielder. Is this legal? Does the injured pitcher have to leave the game? If she doesn't have to leave the game, does the replacement pitcher still get as many warm-up pitches as need or does she only get five?

IMO, the sore shoulder doesn't keep her from catching, hitting and throwing overhand. I actually had a pitcher tell me, this week, that it hurts her more to throw underhand than overhand - I told her that she was strange! Anyway, I don't think there's anything in the rules that prohibit this providing the new pitcher went into the center fielder's batting slot. If he attempts to bring the first pitcher back I'd be pi$$ed!

[whiskers_ump]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer

IMO, the sore shoulder doesn't keep her from catching, hitting and throwing overhand. I actually had a pitcher tell me, this week, that it hurts her more to throw underhand than overhand - I told her that she was strange! Anyway, I don't think there's anything in the rules that prohibit this providing the new pitcher went into the center fielder's batting slot. If he attempts to bring the first pitcher back I'd be pi$$ed!

Agree, No penalty.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer

Anyway, I don't think there's anything in the rules that prohibit this providing the new pitcher went into the center fielder's batting slot.

What if the new pitcher was already in the batting order, i.e. a DP?

[Steve M]

Originally Posted by rj

This is a High School Game:
Coach calls time and replaces his starting pitcher because she has a sore shoulder. He asks that because he's replacing his pitcher due to injury his replacement pitcher get as many warm-up pitches as needed; which is granted.
He immediately sends his starting pitcher to center field as a substitute for his center fielder. Is this legal? Does the injured pitcher have to leave the game? If she doesn't have to leave the game, does the replacement pitcher still get as many warm-up pitches as need or does she only get five?

No, this second change - 1st pitcher re-entering for F8 - is not legal the way you described it. The original pitcher is locked into that position in the batting order.
Now, if what you meant to say was that the sub came in for F8, and the pitcher was removed from pitching due to injury and was now playing center field - then yes, all is legal. Because the change is taking place due to an injury, the new pitcher gets all the warmup pitches she needs. And Fed is different than other sanctioning bodies in that the original pitcher will be allowed to return as the pitcher regardless of how many warmup pitches the reliever takes. That's going to be covered in Rule 6, Section 2, and I can't remember what Article - but it's in there.

[blue man]

Let me start by saying that before I began my umpiring career I had played this sport for over 35 years and had also coached for 15 years as well.
In this time and until last year I had never had a problem getting (as a coach) or giving (as an umpire) warm up pitches to a pitcher in relief of an injured pitcher.
Last year at my first Canadian Championship as an umpire I gave that new pitcher as many as she needed because of the "apparent injury". In our debrief I asked the UIC what guidelines we should follow because I felt that the coach and pitcher might have played up the injury, it being a sore finger on the throwing hand.
The UIC did not have a problem with the substitution but did have a problem with the warm up pitches granted. He said this is a baseball thing and asked me to show him where in OUR BOOK it said that a pitcher coming in for an injured pitcher would get as many pitches as she needed. I was told they get 5, that's all and the coach should have a pitcher ready at all times.
This was brought up with everyone at the evening meeting.
As far as I can tell Softball Canada rules are pretty close to ASA rules.
How would this be handled in an ASA Championship?

Paul