Giving a batter time
 

I know that we have all been instructed to not give a batter time any longer unless it is for a legitimate reason. I also understand that a batter just holding up their hand has never been an official signal for time, but was just a courtesy that umpires extended to the batter.

Recently I have noticed that some officials appear to be taking not giving the batter time to the extreme. At several recent JC games I have watched, the umpires have refused to hold the pitcher while the batter was still stepping into the box. In some cases the batter has still been holding the bat in one hand with the other hand held up to the umpire when the pitcher has pitched. And it is obvious that some pitchers are using this to their advantage. They are taking the throw back, and immediately stepping back to the pitching plate before the batter has even had a chance to get their signs.

Again, we have been told not to give time unless the batter has a legitimate reason, but, in ASA we also have rule 6-10-B covering quick pitches, and I believe it is rule 10-9 in the NCAA book.

How are you handling giving a batter time to get set and pitchers that are obviously quick pitching?

I start NCAA ball next year - so I dont know what they are teaching .. but in ASA I give time for reasonable things.. like getting set. I've never been instructed not to. Usually they dont need it, but if I need to control the pace or help control the pace, I do. And if they ask for time because the pitcher is taking to long with the sign, I grant that as well.

they should ask for time verbally and keep both hands on their bat - that would be the proper way to ask for time and the smartest.

I use my right hand. An umpire who will not allow the batter to enter the box and set is an idiot and is just begging for a lawsuit.

And that pretty much covers it for all rule sets.

FWIW:
I use my right hand for right handed batters and my left hand for left handed batters. (Same for putting the ball in play where appropriate)
I have been told at various times that is correct..... and that is incorrect.
What's an umpire to do????:confused:

I know to hold the pitcher by holding up your hand. Was just trying to figure out if this is some new directive at the JC level.

At club and high school levels we have been instructed to not award the batter time once both the batter and pitcher are set unless there is a legitimate reason. The key words being both set. Every batter takes just a second to set themselves when they get in the box, no one is ever ready the second the 2nd foot touches the ground.

Most pitchers will wait for the batter to be obviously set, but a few have figured out which umpires are not holding them and are quick pitching before the batter is set.

I think the problem arises that some of the guys you've observed doing this may have done USSSA ball. In slow-pitch in the past (and I know this because I do slow-pitch), it was required to give a VERBAL request for time. We were told to ignore the hand request, and the rules also indicated we didn't have to call time if the batter was out of the box and didn't request time verbally. I think what happened is some of the fast-pitch umpires in USSSA picked up on that, and decided to apply it. The rules have since changed that the batter has to be in the box for the pitcher to start any kind of pitching motion (except the windmilling fancy schmancy stuff in slowpitch) and if their hand is up, we honor that as a request, basically following along the lines of other codes. Maybe some ucking fidiot hasn't caught up to the correct rules on that?

The ASA umpire manual says to use the hand "opposite" the batter- right hand for a right handed batter, left hand for a left handed batter. See the illustrations of umpire signals (out, safe, dead ball, etc.) and the accompanying text for the "Hold Up Play" signal. This was also covered at the National Umpire School I attended last year.

I had never given much thought to this until I was at a high school baseball clinic about five years ago. During some plate drills, one of the umpires used his left hand to signal "don't pitch/hold up play" when there was a left handed batter. The instructor about had a cow. Dressed the guy down pretty good for using the "wrong" hand. Sure enough, baseball mechanics are to always use the right hand.

Since this incident raised my awareness of which hand I was using, the ASA instruction about switching hands based on the batter has always stuck in my mind.

Finally back in the States, so I'll start tossing my $0.02 in FWIW.

This is still the prescribed mechanic in ASA, as emphasized by the NUS this year, last year, and so on and so forth. I'll also emphasize that when you're doing so in SP, make sure you're not completely hidden behind Bubba Da Catcher when holding up the pitch. I step out a little towards the unoccupied batter's box if necessary.

More pertaining to the OP, if the game's tempo is progressing fine, I see no need to deny a batter time to collect his/her thoughts for a couple seconds. If I feel that s/he is abusing the privilege, I simply tell them, "let's pick it up, batter. Step in, please."

A number of years ago, I did have this one knucklehead who, upon stepping into the batter's box would do this drawn out, tai chi-like stretching ceremony with the bat. Every time he stepped up to bat, he'd do this crazy motion with the bat that would take a good 5 to 7 seconds. I told him to quicken it up a bit, but he wouldn't listen.

That is, until I told the pitcher to pitch while he was about halfway through his little jig, and I banged it for a strike. He never did that crap while I was behind the plate again.

You should see what the baseball guys do when someone hollars, "DEADBALL"....

No. Just poor application of the rules by the umpires.

To answer the initial posters' questions... there WAS a local directive about giving time to batters in J.C. Ball... ONCE THEY WERE SET IN THE BOX... I will ALWAYS let them get set when first entering the box.. not letting a player get set when she first comes to bat is silly....

AZ, thanks for the reply. Sounds like the same basic information we have been given for high school and local clubs.

I know guys who take off their hats for a moment of silence. :D

You had Ichiro? :p

I don't allow left handed batters ;)

Of course, I always use the outside hand, hand opposite the batter, the hand same as the batter, whatever you want to call it.