What would you do?

[umpire_scott]

Working a game this weekend in a 13U tournament. I'm in "A". Batter swings and misses at strike 3. Ball hits him or so I thought. I expect the PU to call "time" and then call him out. Instead the PU points to the ground indicating dropped third strike. The batter starts to run to first, and the catcher throws him out. I call him out at first. Since there is an out either way I just keep my mouth shut. Then I start to doubt what I saw.

In between innings I say to my partner that I thought the ball hit him. He says "It did. I had a brain fart. Should have ruled him out right away".

[scrounge]

What would you have done if the catcher threw it away? Stepped in an overruled your partner from 90 ft away? Called timeout? Called the HBP yourself?

[umpire_scott]

What would you have done if the catcher threw it away? Stepped in an overruled your partner from 90 ft away? Called timeout? Called the HBP yourself?

I don't know what I would have done. That's why I'm asking.

[scrounge]

Well

What would you have done if the catcher threw it away? Stepped in an overruled your partner from 90 ft away? Called timeout? Called the HBP yourself?

I don't know what I would have done. That's why I'm asking.

Personally, I wouldn't step in unless 1) I was absolutely, positively sure, and 2) everyone else saw it too. In basketball, they call that a "whale" call - one so big that you just have to call it even if it's not in your area.

If it's a hit on the arm or hand, I highly doubt I'd step in no matter what. I'm going to sell I saw it from 90 ft when the PU apparently didn't from less than 3 ft? If it hits him in the thigh and he swings and isn't called HBP, then yea, I'd probably call it.

[boyinr]

Given his response it sounds to me like your partner might be a little fuzzy on the HBP/3rd stike rule.

Ball is dead and batter is out.

I agree that you can't overrule him from 90' away if it nicked the batter. Ignore it unless obvious.

[Texarkana]

Working a game this weekend in a 13U tournament. I'm in "A". Batter swings and misses at strike 3. Ball hits him or so I thought. I expect the PU to call "time" and then call him out. Instead the PU points to the ground indicating dropped third strike. The batter starts to run to first, and the catcher throws him out. I call him out at first. Since there is an out either way I just keep my mouth shut. Then I start to doubt what I saw.

In between innings I say to my partner that I thought the ball hit him. He says "It did. I had a brain fart. Should have ruled him out right away".

I do not like to converse with my partner in between innings unless it is necessary. In this case it was not and would only draw attention to something that might have been missed. If you were not sure if it hit him, say nothing. I would have made sure after the game that my partner knew what a dead ball strike was and then I might have discussed it. I do not like conversations in baseball games. Not with my partner, not with coaches players or fans. If a coach or my partner has something, I like to make it brief and to the point. I have seen guys mess something up, then line up and conference in between innings. The whole ball park knows what they are talking about including the coaches and it breeds more problems.

[umpire_scott]

Working a game this weekend in a 13U tournament. I'm in "A". Batter swings and misses at strike 3. Ball hits him or so I thought. I expect the PU to call "time" and then call him out. Instead the PU points to the ground indicating dropped third strike. The batter starts to run to first, and the catcher throws him out. I call him out at first. Since there is an out either way I just keep my mouth shut. Then I start to doubt what I saw.

In between innings I say to my partner that I thought the ball hit him. He says "It did. I had a brain fart. Should have ruled him out right away".

I do not like to converse with my partner in between innings unless it is necessary. In this case it was not and would only draw attention to something that might have been missed. If you were not sure if it hit him, say nothing. I would have made sure after the game that my partner knew what a dead ball strike was and then I might have discussed it. I do not like conversations in baseball games. Not with my partner, not with coaches players or fans. If a coach or my partner has something, I like to make it brief and to the point. I have seen guys mess something up, then line up and conference in between innings. The whole ball park knows what they are talking about including the coaches and it breeds more problems.

I agree to an extent. With how this situation happened with the runner being put out at first anyway, there was no controversy. I'm certain that it was forgotten completely by the time we discussed it. With single games I'm usually not much for conversation either. But when I am working all day with a partner, it helps to keep the day going by having some friendly conversation once in a while. In these tournaments the BU keeps a lineup card where he/she records the score each inning. So I'm walking over to each the score keepers anyway to verify scores.

[NCAAump2]

Scott, I know the tournaments you're talking about, and as the PU, I always keep the little game-card thing. I just feel weird not having the line-up card as the PU.

[Jocko]

BU at our tourneys keeps the card. I usually go to 1B team scorekeeper regardless who's home early on to verify scores. I will go to 3B scorer a couple times a game just to be sure. And whenever there's a F1 change I verify they have the sub for their records.