NFHS Short-handed Scenario
 

For NFHS rules:

A team has only nine players. During the game, one of their players becomes ill and has to leave the game. They continue playing with eight players.

The ill player feels better a couple of innings later. May she be re-entered into the game?

There are two places in the book that talk about a player coming back into the game after injury: the blood rule and the signs of concussion rule. Both talk about allowing such players to come back into the game under the reentry rule if the issue causing them to leave has been resolved. Nothing here or anywhere else in NFHS book that I can find says that a player leaving game causing team to to go short can not come back but seems that it would be a reentry.

Note ASA specifically says a player leaving and causing a team to go short cannot come back in that game; but this language is missing in NFHS. If it's not illegal it must be legal, right?

Yes, I am aware of the ASA rule. And, no, I couldn't find a comparable rule for NFHS after scouring the rule book and the case book. I wondered if maybe there was an interpretation covering this, out there somewhere, and figured that if there was somebody on this board would know about it.

If I'm the umpire on the field and I'm forced to rule on the spot, I'm going to allow her return just because the rules don't say she can't come back in.

The slightly longer story on how this came up...

High school playoff game. Pitcher for one school is doing a lights out job. However, she apparently has some medical issues and (it's later determined) is having an adverse reaction to a medication.

While in the dugout between innings, the pitcher had an episode that affected her breathing and she actually seemed to lose consciousness momentarily.

Upon learning this, the plate umpire ordered the player's removal from the game. I'm getting some second hand accounts here: Apparently he didn't remove her under the concussion guidelines, but just under the general guise of "safety".

Inserting personal opinion here: If he did remove her, I think that he overstepped his bounds. If a concussion is not suspected, then I think that the player's medical status should be left to her coach/team staff/parents.

So, this team is reduced to eight players and is taking an out in the pitcher's spot. Then the rain hits!

The game was suspended, to be resumed at the same point it ended on another day. This brought up the question of whether or not the pitcher who was removed by the umpire would be eligible to re-enter when the game is resumed.

Ya gotta love playoff softball!

Did the coach protest her removal? If so, then he has a case to have the game resumed at the point his player was removed, since I agree with you that the umpire overstepped his authority.

Since NFHS rules allow an ill player to return under the re-entry rules, and since the short-handed rules are silent on the issue of re-entry, and since the entire thing was caused by a buttinsky umpire, I would think she could certainly re-enter the resumed game.

Ohio is a "no protests allowed" state.

ATAIK, there is no place in the NFHS book that says a team may play shorthanded or defines it or explains the conditions.

Rule: 3-3-8

And here:

(4-3-1) . . . A game shall be forfeited to the offended team by the umpire when a team:

a. is late in appearing or in beginning play after the umpire calls "Play Ball." State associations are authorized to specify the time frame and/or circumstances before a forfeit will be declared for a late arrival by one of the teams.

b. refuses to continue play after the game has started.

c. delays more than one minute in resuming play after the umpire calls "Play Ball" or in obeying the umpire's order to remove a player or coach for violation of the rules.

d. persists in tactics designed to delay or shorten the game.

e. willfully and persistently violates any one of the rules after being warned by the umpire.

f. cannot provide 9 players (F. P.), 10 players (S.P.) or 11 players (S.P. if an EP is used) to start the game.

g. cannot provide 8 players (F.P.), 9 players (S.P.) or 10 players (S.P. if an EP is used) in the batting order to finish the game. An out is called in that spot of the batting order (7-4-1). If that player has safely reached base, then the most recent batter not on base is allowed to run for that player, until that player is put out, scores, or the half-inning ends.

h. on its home field, fails to comply with the umpire's order to put the field in condition for play.

It's funny you mention this as a buddy and me were discussing this same rule last night. He had an interesting scenario working a JV game a week or so ago..

Offensive coach calls time and approaches PU. "We've got a problem. Our next batter got hit by a pitch in last game and now is afraid to get in the batters box. We don't have any more subs."

I swear I'm not making this up! :rolleyes:

PU just let the team take an out basically letting the team drop to 8 players. It was the last half inning so he never had to deal with allowing the frightened batter to play defense later but we felt under NFHS she could return and would be considered out of the game one time.

Or I suppose we could just call three penalty strikes for delay and say that she never left the game.

IIRC we had a discussion about this last season for one of my games.

The situation, as I remember it, which may not be great was this.

Team starts the game with only 9 players. During the game one of the defensive players is leaving the dugout and I (as PU) notice she has an earring in.

We inform the coach that the player may not participate with the offending equipment in. She can not immediately remove the earring. As a result they are forced to play with only 8 players legally available. After the inning, or a couple innings, the player is finally able to remove the item and re-enters the game.

IIRC the ruling was that her coming back into the game was her reentry for the game, but she could reenter. We also issued a warning to the coach (at the time the infraction was found) that the next player illegally attired would be restricted.