umpire-catcher courtesies

[Andy]

I may not always brush the plate when a catcher takes a foul ball or otherwise gets hit, but I will ask if they are OK. If we need to stop for a bit, we do. If I get a "Yeah, I'm fine" right away, I just tell them I will always ask just to make sure...kind of a "you and I are back her together with balls being thrown at us."

When a batter is hit, we kill the ball (duh), and most of the time, the batter will stumble/limp/hop down to first base, the first base coach will ask for time (which we already have) to let the player regain composure. I let them take as much time as they need, within reason, and I will usually confirm with the coach, in a youth game, that the player is ready to go.

I have found that the Men's FP game is a bit different...if the PU gets hit, the catcher will almost automatically ask for time and go talk to his pitcher. If the catcher gets hit, the PU will almost automatically call time and brush the plate. I think most of that comes from a baseball mentality, since most of the mens FP players have played some high level baseball in the past. I have also found that the catcher will almost always apologize if the PU gets hit, even if its a foul ball that the catcher had no chance of deflecting.

When a mens batter gets hit, if they don't want to charge the pitcher , they almost always suck it up and get to first base to show how tough they are...they certainly don't want anyone to know if they're hurt!