A call you don't often see in MLB
 

I don't know how many of you read the baseball forum here on officials.com, but here is a call you don't see every day in the major leagues:

http://forum.officiating.com/basebal...e-awarded.html

GREAT job by the HPU! Make the call with authority, stick with it.

I actually had the rare dead-ball CALLED strike in the tourney last weekend. Batter was leaned over the plate, backed out slightly to avoid getting hit, got hit anyway by a pitch that was clearly in the strike zone.

I agree - he looked almost as good as a Fast Pitch umpire!

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You know, while watching the HPU on this plate, I had flashbacks of our own Outathm making the same call a couple years ago. It was a good call, too. The batter never avoided the ball.

Probably more often in MLB than elsewhere.

I did feel sorry yesterday for a batter who got hit by a "no pitch". :eek:

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For a fast pitch game, what mechanics would you use for this call?

Pretty much the same (but I bet in the MLB game, the call wasn't "DEAD BALL")

I'D Come up with a big DEAD BALL.
Step up and point (on my ARM) where the ball contacted the batter.
Finally turn back and down at the batter's box and verbalize, "right here" or something like that.

I agree for the most part, but why indicate where the ball hit the batter? The (big) DEAD BALL (+1, btw) would indicate that. I would only demonstrate where it hit the batter when a) I'm going to award a base and b) it wasn't easily seen as a hit batter.

Differing from the video, I would not be in such a rush to make the indication. This is something that needs to be signaled and distinct, much like all HBP. This was an NCAA POE in 2010, and an area that I see umpires needing improvement. Most make a really weak dead ball call, or then follow up by a point to first (and hope that U1 doesn't say "yes, she went"!).