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play at the plate, where to stand


fishnfed
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R3 and R1, two outs, Middle school, USSSA rules, two man crew.  Ball is hit to F5 and R3 heads home.  I take a position on the third base line perpendicular to the plate and about where I think the tag will occur.  R3 executes a poor slide, and is tagged out by F2.  I have seen many MLB umpires take a position on the first base line side, however, I don't think the angle would be as good there.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

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Let's think about some rules and some physical principles a bit.

We now have rules in every code that minimize the chances of the plate being blocked. We also know that a tag is almost always going to be on the glove side of the catcher.

To set up where you did means that you run the risk of having the runner or the catcher between you and the tag. If you were to be behind the catcher (that is, looking at his back,) you can see exactly how the play is going to develop. Thus, generally speaking, you want to be looking up the third-base line towards third. Our starting position for this is on an imaginary line extending that baseline all the way to the backstop, called the third-base line extended (3BLX.) You're going to want to be about eight feet away from the plate in foul territory on this line.

Now that you have your initial position, read the throw to get an initial idea of how the play is going to develop. Then look at the runner to see his path (because it will not only tell you where he's going to be, you'll need to be cognizant of this for determining malicious contact.) Keep the whole play in your vision, and stay behind the catcher about 6-8 feet on his glove side. You need to be able to see the space between his body on that side and the runner (the wedge.) That's where the tag will almost always happen.

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Another factor benefiting MLB umpires in situations and plays like this is the presence of 4 umpires. In a two-man system, with runners on, BU is going to be in B or C. Thus, on anything to the infield, we as PU want to naturally help our BU partner and be in an optimal position to see up the 1BL for pulled foot or swipe tag in a play at 1B. We want to keep the plate in front of us, so we end up staying 1BLX. In a 4-man crew, U1 can best position himself to take nearly all of the responsibility at 1B – pulled foot and swipe tags included – and PU isn't needed, supplementally, as much.

Now, in the situation you presented, with a hit towards F5 and a potential ruling of fair/foul, you likely stepped towards 3B reactively. So too, in a 4-man crew, U3 is there to assist in making that call, so PU doesn't have to step that way instinctively like we do in 2-man, where PU is the sole judge of fair/foul. @Matt has a top-notch explanation, but as PU in a 2-man system, you need to be more anticipatory of what may happen around the plate especially, and keep your feet nimble, ready to scoot/shuffle/slide to the best viewing position. And, as Matt and @Kevin_K have noted, that's usually 3BLX for your IP, progressing from there.

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