Nice way to come back....
 

Had the experience of my middling 25 year softball career today - but first a little background:

Early last August, I was working a mens MFP league game on a Saturday night, the second game of two. I had the bases, and things were relatively normal, until...at the end of an inning, 1B decides to toss me the ball without me being ready for it. It goes just high enough into the lights, where I can't see it, and BOOM - the ball hits me right on the temple inbetween my cap and my glasses. No, I did not go down, but I did end up with a 'mild' concussion, which naturally ended my season (except for a couple of emergency base jobs, and slow pitch), especially behind the plate. So by the time I got cleared to work, and a couple of administrative problems, I ended up missing the first month of HS ball - and feeling miserable.

So I worked my first game on the bases on Friday, and today I had my first plate game - a JV game about a half hour from home.

And it happens - a Perfect Game.

When chatting with my partner, I got the scoop on the two teams - the home team being part of a fairly strong local program, and the visitors a very weak program. He told me how if I got the right pitcher for the home team, that she throws nothing but strikes and was he ever right! After she got adjusted to my zone (which took one batter), it was strike one...strike two...swinging third strike. she had exactly ONE three ball count - a 3-2 with 2 out B6 - and then threw a NASTY pitch on the low outside corner. She must have had 16/17 K's...her innings went so fast, I found I was behind on the outs on my indicator a couple of times. The other team only hit maybe one or two loud foul off her, and exactly ONE regular fly ball..in the 6th.

The nice thing was the other pitcher was pretty decent, and it ended up only being 5-0, or so, so that made it even better.

For those out there:

How aware were you during any game when you might have had this situation? I went to check with my partner once or twice - once to joke and ask him if he was only take a half game fee, seeing how he wasn't doing anything for half the game - he laughed, and broke the tension for both of us. But I never spoke the Magic Words.

In some ways this was as fun of a game as I've had, and considering the circumstances, inside, kind of emotional. What a way to come back!! :D

Welcome back!

I can only think of one game where I realized we might be going for El Perfecto. This was about 10 years ago, I think at the ASA state tournament, either 16U or 18U. The pitcher was Molly Hill, who would go on to pitch at the University of Nebraska after posting a 0.00 ERA in her senior year of HS ball.

It was the same deal: one batter to establish the width of my zone, and then 90% strikes from then on. In the 4th inning, I asked my partner if he'd been off the 1B line yet. He said "nope" and we did not speak again the rest of the game. 6 inning run rule perfect game, 18 batters faced, 15 or 16 strikeouts.

I wasn't umpiring at the time, but was watching my friends play for the HS team (we weren't very good, but had a decent pitcher). The opposing pitcher was one of the best strikeout pitchers in state history. Two 7 inning games, 2 balls put in play by our batters, but hit back to the pitcher. The rest were strikeouts. 40 strikeouts, 2 groundouts F1 toF3. Both games shockingly went the full 7 innings.