F1 Working Very Fast

[Mudder]

OBR, 12U, with or without runners, F1 works very fast in his delivery often not waiting until everyone is ready, and despite 2 warnings from the PU and 1 warning from me (BU) over 3 innings to F1 and the coach, to wait until everyone at the plate is ready, he more or less continued, even if PU had his hand up in the stop sign, he would blow past it.  Sometimes batter would not be set, sometimes, F2 or sometimes PU.  Coach says he generally works fast, but usually not this fast.

He was replaced after the 3rd inning, so we didn't have to deal with it anymore, but, by rule, is there any penalty, etc. we could have enforced, instead of repeatedly warning with no change?  

[noumpere]

Quick Pitch.

 

And, if he's taking signs from F2, work with F2 to help solve this.

[Mudder]

F2 was not giving signs.  I don't think quick pitch would apply here, especially when PU or F2 were not ready, would it?

[noumpere]

Your OP says "sometimes batter would not be set".  That's a quick pitch.

 

[maven]

Your OP says "sometimes batter would not be set".  That's a quick pitch.

 

​Yep.

1. Work with F2: before F1 quick pitches, call time, send him out and have him tell F1 to wait till the batter's ready.
2. Work with coach: before F1 quick pitches, call time, go over and explain to coach that F1 must by rule wait till the batter's ready, and that you're not eager to call a quick pitch (ball/balk). (I recommend this because you generally see it below HS varsity, and kids and their coaches just don't know).
3. Call the quick pitches. You've done what you could to prevent it.

"Nobody has ever called that, blue!" Well, shame on them.

One other thing: we can be more or less "flexible" with some rules. This is a safety provision: a ball flying toward a batter who is not watching is a recipe for injury and worse. We need to enforce this one.

[noumpere]

Sometimes (often?) they don't learn until they pay the penalty.

[NorthTexasUmp]

Had a problem with this a few summers ago. Not the best of fields with a very sandy batters box. First time, "Time. Pitch, wait for the batter to be ready". Coach immediately states that if the batters in the box he can pitch anytime. "No coach, it's a safety issue". After several more times of this (with a comment to wait for the batter), I walked a ball out to the pitcher and told him if he did it again I was calling an Illegal Pitch. Next time he did (wind-up), there were runners on and I balked him. Coach decided to watch the rest of the game from the parking lot.

[ElkOil]

I've searched as best I could, but am coming up empty.  Can someone cite the FED rule with any language about the pitcher waiting for the batter to be ready?  The only rule I can find is 6-1-1, but that only has a brief reference saying the pitcher won't make a quick-return pitch.

[scrounge]

I've searched as best I could, but am coming up empty.  Can someone cite the FED rule with any language about the pitcher waiting for the batter to be ready?  The only rule I can find is 6-1-1, but that only has a brief reference saying the pitcher won't make a quick-return pitch.

​6-1-1 makes it an illegal pitch to "make a quick-return pitch in an attempt to catch a batter off balance" and 6-2-4 explicitly references that section in making it a balk, as well as the penalty under 6-1-1 itself.

Edited June 22, 2015 by scrounge

[webspinnre]

I had this happen in a LL District TOC game at the minors level (~10u). I had done one game for this team earlier in the year, and warned the pitcher then, and then gave him two warnings in this game and told both he and his coach that the next one would be a ball on an illegal pitch. Thankfully it didn't happen again.

[JaxRolo]

F2 was not giving signs.  I don't think quick pitch would apply here, especially when PU or F2 were not ready, would it?

I say call quick pitch every time! 

He will slow down.

[Rich Ives]

OBR - RTFM guys. (Point the "he's in the box - he can pitch" folks here)

Rule 6.02(a )(5) Comment (Rule 8.05(e) Comment ): A quick pitch is an illegal pitch. Umpires will judge a quick pitch as one delivered before the batter is reasonably set in the batter’s box. With runners on base the penalty is a balk; with no runners on base, it is a ball. The quick pitch is dangerous and should not be permitted.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Rich Ives

[lawump]

This would not help in the OP as the catcher was not giving signs.  In higher levels, this is how I handle it:  To the catcher, "I love pitchers who work fast, but do me a favor and wait to the batter gets set in the box before you give your signs and I'll make sure the batters don't take to long to get in the box, okay?"

I've never heard any reply other than, "no problem, blue" (or words to those effect.)  It has taken care of the problem every single time.

Hypothetically, if the catcher was to argue with me, I would just say, "fine, then the next time he quick pitches it will be a balk or ball depending on whether or not there are runners on base."

[noumpere]

This would not help in the OP as the catcher was not giving signs.  In higher levels, this is how I handle it:  To the catcher, "I love pitchers who work fast, but do me a favor and wait to the batter gets set in the box before you give your signs and I'll make sure the batters don't take to long to get in the box, okay?"

 

​I sometimes add "if I have to call time, it slows the pitcher even more.  wait half-a-second and let him work at a good pace."

 

 

[spiffdawg7]

In the OP the umpire has his hand up when the kid quick pitches.  Can you call a quick pitch since time is called while the PU has his hand up? Technically the ball is dead and the pitching restrictions do not apply.  Just like you can't call a balk on the hidden ball trick gone wrong when the ball is still dead.

[Sut'n Blue]

Spiffdawg raises a good question.

When I see a quick pitch coming I come up with hands up and a verbal to try to stop the pitcher and/or alert the batter. Safety first. Once I come up it's a no pitch (unless it's happened before with a warning given - then I'll enforce the penalty).