HumblePie

Agreed ... point taken ... and yet, using the term "wild pitch" would make things so easy. So clear.

Here's where all my confusion comes from, as well as many of my colleagues ... "APPROVED RULING: In cases where a pitcher balks and throws wild, either to a base or to home plate, a runner or runners may advance beyond the base to which he is entitled at his own risk." This says THROWS wild either to a base or to home plate. That tells me it's not referring to a pitch (wild pitch) but only a throw to home, such as when R3 steals home, the pitcher disengages, and throws home. Only the language in the MLBUM uses the actual phrase wild pitch.

OBR R1 No outs. 2-0 count. Pitcher balks by failing to stop, PU calls it, then pitcher delivers the pitch. Pitch is wild, kicks away from the catcher, and R1 advances safely all the way to 3B. Defensive Head Coach comes out and argues that the balk needs to be enforced, the ball was dead, and that R1 must return to 2B, all on the basis that the batter did not become a runner and reach 1B. He further argues that a wild pitch is not the same as throwing wildly to a base (including home plate). Please use the OBR rulebook and/or other interp manuals to officiate this play properly. For 25 years, I've considered a wild pitch in this scenario to end the action on the basis that the Batter cannot reach 1B. However, I'm now confused by wording in the MLBUM.

Did you completely ignore the fact that I said Georgia and Arizona were experimental states this year for calling the box according to OBR? Ill save you time & effort ... YES, you did.

21 years later .............. FED finally decided that fixing the balk rule is worthy of an experimental year, and in Georgia and Arizona, this year, we will call balks according to OBR rules ... then we have to make a report on EVERY balk that was called and explain the circumstances. Here is my question, because it is causing consternation locally. When runners are on base, and a pitcher balks, but then throws a wild pitch, if the batter does not put the ball in play, and it's not a dropped 3rd scenario, my impression is that we kill the play and enforce the balk because the batter cannot POSSIBLY reach 1B. I think there is MASSIVE confusion between a wild throw to a base (including home plate) which is not a pitch, and a wild pitch. In other words ... if a pitcher balks, then disengages and throws home (difficult to do) when R3 is stealing, the play should be allowed to continue. But if the pitcher balks and pitches, if the batter doesn't put the ball in play, and it is NOT a dropped 3rd scenario, I say KILL IT and enforce the balk. PLEASE weigh in.

My first year of high school was 2005, and our state director stood before 300 officials and coaches and stated, after writing the word on the board, " 'SUCK' is a profane word, it will not be tolerated, so I'm telling you, throw them out of the game and it will be like church for the next 7 weeks!" It was an unmitigated disaster. This same director, in January of 2006, stood in front of us and declared, "When it comes to profanity, do whatever it takes to keep the players in the game. I never said to throw a player out of the game if he's using profanity that's not directed at anyone." It was a sad case of a proud man unable to admit he had made a mistake.

Yes. He's 13. I couldn't believe it either. R2 was not quite as heads up and only got about halfway to third.

14u

That's what I would have said until November 2nd, 2024.

R1, R2, no outs. 2-2 count. Pitcher inexplicably assumes the wind-up position, and both runners take off. At the moment the pitcher makes his first move toward the plate, R1 is already standing on second base, but R2 has not yet reached third base. Pitch is a curveball in the dirt, batter swings and misses. Batter-runner takes off for 1st and is called safe by U1. Plate umpire calls the batter-runner out, because since R2 had not yet acquired 3rd at the pitcher's first movement to the plate, R1 could not legally acquire 2nd. Therefore, for the purpose of the rule, 1B was still occupied.

No a runner can be assisted by another "viable" runner, viable being not out or scored. ALSO: Runners may physically assist each other as long as they haven't been called out/scored. In this case, sounds like the BR is still live so this play is nothing. ALSO: A runner can help another runner as long as he's not already out and he hasn't crossed the plate.

The only time I ever threw a catcher out of a game while on defense was a kid from Canada who started barking at me and sticking pitches about five pitches into a summer ball tournament. I'm not sure I ever thought of that team as too damned polite.

Doesn't feel that way to me. Feels friendly, assertive, professional.

Obviously that works fine, but I like knowing the catcher's name before he comes out so I can extend a hand and address him by name

I completed 171 games across two states in 2024 and had 4 total ejections. 2 coaches, and 2 players. That was a lot for me in one season, but I'm probably able to prevent more ejections than some are after "screwing it up" myself a few times. I want to first paint a picture of the worst, most avoidable ejection I ever witnessed, to make a point. One of the best officials in Middle TN was working a semifinal game at the State Tourney, and the team "stud" tried to steal 2nd base with two outs. The official called him out, third out, and could have turned and walked off the field to his "place" he hangs out between innings. Instead, he caught a "glare" from the runner he just called out, and the kid acted like he wasn't gonna leave the field. The official walked up to the base and asked the runner to hustle off the field so he could sweep the dirt off the base. The 17-yr-old said, "You've gotta be f***ing kidding me ..." BOOM. Ejected. If the team makes the championship game, their best player won't be playing. The Official was incredulous that he did the right thing, that the kid used profanity in his face, and by the rule book, no one could argue with him. The rest of us, unfortunately, felt like this was absolutely avoidable, that in a sense the official baited the kid while his temper was hot, and he actually "caused" the ejection. I could easily write a book on all the things I've done wrong over the past 25 years ... both ejections that probably could have been prevented, and non-ejections (where I failed to pull the trigger and lost my opportunity). If a Head Coach comes out to argue or discuss a call, give him some leash. Give him some time. Don't treat him like an assistant or a player, because he's earned the right to have that leash and that time. We are all taught the four P's for which to eject ... Personal, Physical, Profane, Prolonged. I'm going to key in on the one that gets under my skin the quickest, and the one I will tolerate the least ... that is Personal. I'm happy to let the coach run toward me without automatically tossing him for "charging" me. That's in the heat of battle. I've been bumped by a coach before. I've had him grab my shoulder or forearm to get my attention, and I have resisted the temptation to immediately toss him for getting physical. I've allowed coaches to blather on 2 or 3 sentences longer than what I think is acceptable to make their point, and then allowed them to stay in the game. I'm not going to put up with personal jabs. It's the most demeaning and disrespectful behavior of the four. I had a coach ask me ... angrily ... after a tough call, "Blue, do you live here, or did you travel in with that team?" ........ He called me a cheater ... that's a personal affront. I had a coach tell me, "Hey, that Coach thinks he can push you around, stop letting him influence your calls." ........ He called me a pussy. That's a personal affront. I had a coach tell me, "I realize you must be a rookie, but you've got to start giving my pitcher that outside pitch." ........ He called me incompetent. That's a personal affront. These are the kinds of comments these coaches have honed and used on other officials who, in the name of thick skin, didn't want to throw them out. If they use these disrespectful phrases on me, they've gotten away with it 147 times, so I'll very likely give no warning and confine them to the dugout immediately. My feeling about the dugout restriction is that it is not 50% of the distance to an ejection, but it's 90% of the distance. One more sarcastic word, and he's gone. I fully realize that the Dugout Restriction is peculiar to NFHS (FED) rules ... that doesn't mean it's not an excellent tool, and that doesn't mean you can't utilize it in all brands of baseball below the High School level. You've got the authority to do so. I've used it often in Middle School aged summer ball tournaments, for example, where we were playing by OBR. If you use it, enforce it! The coach does not get to come out next half inning so he can coach 3rd base. Above all, I don't believe in the showy "heave ho" of an ejected coach or player. This is not entertainment, as MLB clearly is. We are arbiters ... calm, confident, and unbiased. The best thing to do is calmly, inform the coach that he (or his assistant or his player) has been ejected, and then immediately ask who will be subbing. If the coach won't leave in a timely manner, tell him he's got 60 seconds (give him 90 - 120) to leave the field, or the game will be forfeited. Don't walk over to or into his dugout. Say what you need to say, and don't argue. Just keep your cool and make notes as needed. DO NOT eject a fan without first going to the Head Coach and giving him the opportunity to get the fan in line. If the fan is being unruly to the point that he is distracting me or the players, I simply call time, walk straight to the Head Coach, and tell him he's got 60 seconds to address this fan, and if the fan remains unruly, I'll toss the fan and restrict the coach to the dugout. GENTLEMEN, if you confront a female directly, without going through the Head Coach, don't EVER come to me for sympathy, empathy, understanding, a shoulder to cry on or an ear to bend. You're a moron. Those days are behind us forever. Angry women can turn you into a criminal before you even know what happened, and they will SOMEHOW find 12 witnesses to support their bogus claims that YOU were the aggressor, YOU are a misogynist, and YOU targeted and bullied HER for being a female. The ejection report (Mostly used in High School ball, rarely needed in summer ball) should be 25 words or less. Name, position, uniform number, reason. "John Smith, Head Coach, #28, profanity directed at the officials." "Chase Johnson, Shortstop, 5th batter, #12, malicious contact on offense -- play at the plate." If the State Director or the TD needs more clarification than that, he'll ask.

I have a passion for being both thorough and prepared at the plate meeting before every game I call, in as few words as possible/practical. If you're fairly new to calling baseball, or have never taken the plate meeting prep seriously, I urge you to practice talking through a mock plate meeting in front of a mirror, with your folio and mock lineup cards in hand, and time it. Work through it ten times until you have it memorized. When it flows comfortably, try to knock 30, then 60, then 90 seconds off of it from start to finish. It's as important to know what does not need to be said as it is to know what is critical to be said out loud. If you KNOW there has been a history between two teams, address it at the plate meeting, but don't put every coach and team through a lengthy sermon that really doesn't apply to them. I created a "Game Card" on Excel (20 years ago) that I've updated over the years, and it is invaluable. I print it out on cardstock, and it is flexible enough that I can use it for any brand of baseball I call. It has a place to keep score by innings, log coaches' names, log pitchers' and catchers' names, track courtesy runners, track pitcher visits, and log warnings and ejections. Introduce yourself and your partner(s) by name, with a firm handshake, and make the effort to call the Head Coach by his first name throughout the game. Shake the catchers' hands, get their first names, and ask them for the pitchers' first names. USE THEIR FIRST NAMES. It's far more personal and professional than using "Coach", "Pitch", and "Catch". Whenever I'm calling a tournament, I create a similar "Cheat Sheet" the same size as the Game Card, and I put all the tournament rules on that and review it when appropriate at the plate meeting. You know the rules I'm referring to ... the ones that many TDs overlook until ten minutes before the first round of games are starting: -- Determining home/visiting teams -- Who provides baseballs -- Rule Set (before Modifications) -- Ground Rules (Dead ball territories, etc.) -- Time Limits -- Mercy Rules -- Courtesy Runner Rules -- Extra inning rules -- ID Official Scorekeeper & Scoreboard keeper Make sure, for example, if you hear a TD state, "We're playing by High School Rules," that he knows what exactly he's saying. Hundreds of summer ball and fall ball coaches think high school rules and MLB rules are nearly identical, with perhaps only the FPSR (Force Play Slide Rule) inserted. Sadly, the same can often be said of TDs. Pitcher visits become a nightmare. Balk rules are different. Obstruction rules are different. Some of the differences are stark, and some are subtle, but you have to be in charge and exude confidence. No matter what level I'm calling, I always ask these two questions: "Coaches, are all of your players properly equipped, and is all equipment legal?" There is only one acceptable answer to this: "YES." Less experienced coaches think they can somehow minimize their responsibility by answering, "As far as I know." Whenever I get that answer, I calmly and firmly tell the coach, "I need a firm answer, Coach, or we need to have you check all that right now." In all cases below the Varsity HS level, I also work this 10-second phrase in: "Coaches, remember that you are the only two who are authorized to approach me or my partner(s) on the field. Your assistants can talk to us from the coaching box, but they can't leave the box to object to a call." There are often Head Coaches who are really more "Managers" of the team, and they let their assistants run the show. You must identify at the plate meeting who the Head Coach is, and there can be no, "Well, we kinda coach by committee." Shut that down immediately. If you don't, you've trained them to call their own shots and walk all over you. It's just wrong. In my experience, I have had far more trouble out of Assistant Coaches than out of Head Coaches. Assistants are often enthusiastic, but ignorant of the rules. They often have no idea that they are not allowed to approach the official on the field. They often snipe from the dugout. Go to the Head Coach and remind him of what was said at the Plate Meeting. There should not need to be any further warnings. The old cliche' is very true, that you have only one chance to make a first impression. Make a good one at the plate meeting, and command respect for the next two hours.

NO.

What did you contribute that jimurrayalterego didn't already state?

Point well taken!

Yes, there is a video, I would guess 13u or 14u, and it is laughable that the umpire initially called the runner safe, then listened to a barking coach, then listened to barking parents, then huddled with his partner, then changed the call to batter interference.

I'm in a healthy debate on another forum over a player stealing home, pitcher properly steps off rubber, fires home, runner called safe, defensive coach wants interference on the batter since, "He didn't move from the box." My feeling is simple ... I'd treat it just like any other steal of home or a squeeze play. As long as the batter doesn't leave the box and/or make any unusual "non-baseball" move, he may stay planted in the box. One poster insists that since the pitcher disengaged, the batter now must leave the area. I disagree. PLEASE cite a rule if you reply.

-- MODERATOR -- If this play was already discussed on this forum, please delete this post and direct me to it. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/12GWmciJJ7V/ Runner slides into 2B on a fairly close play, but not a banger. For some inexplicable reason, he takes off his helmet as he slides, overslides the bag, but then touches the bag firmly with his helmet in hand. The middle infielder then places a firm tag on him, and the umpire calls him safe. The debates swirled on whether this is a case of detached equipment, and whether that rule applies to the offense or only to the defense. I'll leave it there for now to start the discussion.

There is the letter ... and there is the spirit ... of the rule ... and you have spelled out the letter beautifully, and ignored the spirit horribly. Yes, we LOVE to say a baserunner may run anywhere he wishes until a tag play is imminent, but employing common sense, if a runner rounds wide to get a better angle to run harder and slide hard into 2nd, that rationale is clean. If a runner from 3rd runs way wide on a 3-2 pitch with bases loaded because he doesn't want a line drive in the mouth, that rationale is clean. If a runner runs behind a player who is making a play on a batted ball, but gets a little wider than necessary to make sure if the player turns to tag him, he'll be un-taggable, then that rationale is clean. What Machado did was illegal ... by anyone who wishes to employ common sense. The real problem, of course, is there is an established tradition (see "Fiddler on the Roof") of turning a blind eye to this play that trumps common sense and trumps the spirit of the rule. That's why Freddie Freeman and Dave Roberts didn't object ... they want to be able to pull the same illegal play and get away with it.

5.09(b)(3) is crystal clear to me, and I'm evidently on an island here, but I'm calling Machado out. There is no rationale WHATSOEVER for him deviating the way he did ... other than to violate 5.09(b)(3). I'm calling him out, for intent to interfere. Can't read minds? Can't know intent? Quite possibly the most useless and baseless comment I've read in a long while. As umpires, not only CAN we, but we MUST. The "Don Hoak-Jackie Robinson" play of kicking a tailor-made double play ball to prevent a double play changed the rule book ... which now states clearly that if a runner interferes with a batted ball with the clear intent of breaking up a double play, then call a double play. If we couldn't judge or know intent or read minds, we could never possibly enforce this rule.

I've watched and listened to the debates among non-umpires who seem to be in agreement that a runner who purposely runs inside the base path to block a throw (most recently, Manny Machado successfully doing it against the Dodgers) is legal (or, not illegal) according to the Rule Book. My Question: 1) Is this illegal? If so, please cite rule refs according to OBR, NCAA, and FED. 2) Is this legal? What would be the rationale for allowing it?