Had this situation Friday. H.S. Var. ( NFHS) 2 outs, Batter has 2 balls 1 strike. I'm behind the plate. Batter swings at the next pitch and does not make contact. Catcher throws ball back to the pitcher. Batter starts to walk back to dougout, fielders walk off the field as do base runners. I take off my mask and look at my indicator and walk up first base line base umpire comes over and we stand there. I as him Did you have 2 or 3 strikes as the third base coach stops be to chat. She says wasn't that 2 strikes???? I say that's what I have, but she is in the dougout now.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

Put every body back where they were and resume play with 2-2 on the batter.

If anyone complains, just smile knowingly and say that you called time after the last pitch because you got some grit in your eye.

SamC

Sam's right, bring em back, let em play. Anyone says
anything just say you were checking with you partner,
and had slight cramp needed the walk up the line.

glen

Those replys are all fine and dandy, only problem is she was in the dougout.

I got the third out, and we continued with the next inning.

<i><b>Those replys are all fine and dandy, only problem is she was in the dugout.</i></b>

So was half the defense. How can you reward them for not knowing the situation, but penalize the offense?

The batter wasn't attempting to delay the game - she was just confused.

The dugout is a good line for abandoning a base, not for a confused batter.

-Kono

Del-Blue,

Why didn't you just tell the batter, "That's only 2," before she made it to the dugout? I've done that before (also "that's only 3" when the batter thinks she walked, or "that's four" when she just stands there, etc.)

Why didn't you call the teams back <u>before</u> you checked with your partner?

Dakota,

I've done that many times before. I guess I figured I had the wrong count. By the time I talked to my partner, everyone was off the field, and the coach didn't seem to care. They were up by 8. At that point, I wasn't going to bring everyone back on the field. If the coach had objected I would have fixed it.