Opinions please.
 

Finished my JV game in 1 hr 14 minutes. Thank You softball Gods. So I cruise over to the Varsity field.

R1 on 2B and R2 on 1B.
Pitcher starts her pitch, batter in a VERY loud voice says"TIME". Before anything else can happen pitcher stops her pitch. PU calls illegal pitch and advances the runners as well as awarding a ball to batter. My thinking was this was not your usual request from the batter for time but an attempt to distract the pitcher.

So after game talking to PU he was firmly in the camp of the pitcher is responsible for knowing who called time hence the illegal pitch. I presented the possibility of calling of time being a deliberate attempt to distract pitcher but he was pretty firm in his thinking.

Your thoughts on if there was handled correctly or even anyway else that this could have been handled ?

The PU screwed the pooch on that call. Rule 7.3 EFFECT 2

If the pitcher stops or hesitates in her delivery as a result of the batter stepping out of the box or holding up her hand to request time, it shall not be an illegal pitch. However, if the batter steps out of the box or holds up her hand to request time and the pitcher delivers the ball, it shall be called a strike and the ball remains live. If the pitch is not delivered, a rule has been violated by both the batter and the pitcher. The umpire shall call time, declare "no-pitch" and begin play anew. If the umpire judges the batter's action to be a deliberate attempt to create an illegal pitch, the umpire will penalize according to 3.6.9.

Rule 3.6.9 PENALITY (ARTS. 2 through 10)

The umpire shall issue a team warning to the coach of the team involved and the next offender on that team shall be restricted to the dugout/bench for the remainder of the game.

agree with Michael... he pooched it. The rule is clear on this, but it does require an umpire to actually open it... unfortunately, not enough do.

Just to be picky, 3.6.9 refers to "calling time", no verbal call mentioned in 7.3.

If the umpire judged the batter's actions to be a deliberate attemp to create an illegal pitch, time would be called while the umpire enforced the penalty.

I think Cecil was making the technical argument that the rule is about the batter stepping out or raising her hand, not about the batter yelling "TIME." However, that situation is covered in rule 6-4

Hijack:

Around these parts all JV games are 1:15 or 5 innings, whichever comes first. ;)

I'm jealous. :mad: Ours are 2 hours no new inninging / 10 runs in 5 innings. I actually had a 2 hour 25 minute game that was less than 2 innings. :eek:

and I bet the temp was under 45 degrees, too....


and oh yeah....sounds like a pooch here.....

Nah a nice low 80's kinda day here in Northern California.

I rarely get to umpire in that kinda weather. :)

Did do a nighttime DH where it was drizziling and was about 55 degrees. For us thats cold.....

Even better! :cool:

Same in this area of Texas and if the home team is ahead at 1:10, don't
start a new inning.

JV games around here are an untimed 7 innings, unless part of a double header (possibly with a trailing varsity game) in which case they're 5 innings and usually an 1:15 time limit.

Now, the first game for my DD's JV game this season (not a double header), the game started 10 minutes early, and after the top of the fourth, with the home team up 7-2, the PU calls the game (at about 1:15). Later I found out he told the coaches there would be an 1:15 time limit at the plate meeting, which was a surprise to the home coach (and later, the AD).

Ya know, I just had a varsity coach do that today. He was definitely not trying to cause an IP - he decided late that he wanted a sub for a runner. The pitcher stopped her windup - and this made everything very easy - and he then decided he did not want a sub. He got charged for an offensive conference - and all were content.