Assistant Coach and Warm Up Pitches

[tankmjg24]

FED Rules.  My association wants the 8 pitches then 1 minute or 5 pitches rule strictly enforced.  (The association feels that if you allow extra pitches that it slows down the game and that teams will take advantage of it by allowing the catcher to lag in order to allow the pitcher more warm up throws.) 

 

 

Game this evening and F2 makes 3rd out on a ground out.  F1 goes to the mound and the coach comes out to warm up the pitcher.  F1 throws 3 pitches and I tell the coach to go ahead and catch the next one and take it in so that his catcher has the ability to throw one down.  (In most games, rather it is the coach or the backup catcher, they say ok and go back to the dugout.  Usually F2 is quick about getting out, however this team was rather slow.)  This particular coach looks at me and says that the catcher was the last out.  I respond by saying that I know but the pitcher only gets 5 warm up pitches.  He then shoots back to me that 5 is not enough and that his pitcher needed more and he was going to warm up till he was ready and the catcher was out. (Side note, this team has some rather head strong coaches and this was not my first nor my associations first run in with issues with this team).  I respond to the coach by telling him that if he caught the 5th pitch his catcher was not going to get to throw one down and that if he caught a 6th that he would spend the rest of the game in the parking lot.  The coach just kind of stood there with a smile on his face and caught the 5th pitch.  About this time F2 came out and Instructed to him that his coach took all his warm up pitches and that he would not be able to take one down.  He just kind of looked at me then looked at the coach.  Meanwhile, head coach is now fussing as he is mad that his catcher did not get to throw one down and that I was being a stickler with the rules.  I explained the rule to the coach and that I instructed his assistant to save one for F2 but he decided not to and caught the 5th pitch.  Things calmed down and the game continued.  This happened 2 more times in the game, and each time I instructed the coach the pitcher got 5 and he could catch all 5 if he wanted but there was not going to be 6 and if he caught 5 F2 was not going to throw one down.

 

So how do you handle this situation?  Did I do a good job or should I have handled it differently?   

[eagle_12]

I think you handled the first time pretty well.

2nd time it happens: ball 1, ball 2, ball 3, ball 4, and restart the process until pitcher is sufficiently warm to their liking.

Third time won't happen now

[ump570]

I think you handled it ok; however, unless the coach was taking a dozen warm up throws, I wouldnt open

that can of worms. It can make you look like a redass and make managing the game more difficult.

[maven]

This happened 2 more times in the game, and each time I instructed the coach the pitcher got 5 and he could catch all 5 if he wanted but there was not going to be 6 and if he caught 5 F2 was not going to throw one down.

 

So how do you handle this situation?  Did I do a good job or should I have handled it differently?   

 

tankmjg24, I'm delighted to hear that your association is supporting the enforcement of this rule. I believe it makes better baseball to minimize dead-ball time. I hope they're supporting enforcement of the batters box rule for the offense. It's often the same teams that are slow both ways.

 

You handled your initial incident adequately. I probably would have instructed the coach to "Let Jake have the last one," and then restricted him to the dugout (FED rules) when he stayed for the next pitch. But then, I don't have much patience with coaches.

 

One suggestion: you've already made your position clear and issued your warning in the first incident. Here it sounds as if you repeated yourself in later innings. I always teach 1 warning only, then restrict or eject. To continue issuing warnings makes it seem as if you're begging or can't pull the trigger.

[JHSump]

That catcher must have been an awful batter.  He made the third out three times in the game?

 

Or, was he just taking off all this equipment between innings and not putting it on until the inning ended?  (At least for the other two times.)

 

Seems like they were either trying to get extra warmup pitches, or just needed to learn to help keep the game moving and lively.

 

I think you did just fine.  You matter-of-factly told the coach what was going to happen.  

 

Go ahead, enforce that rule.  Keep the game moving.  I literally count the seconds in my head between innings and when I reach 50 seconds, it's "Take the next one down, catch" unless they have already thrown their 5.  I do this in every game I umpire.  Nobody objects.  Often the coaches have to hustle down the line to their boxes...they've been lollygagging and the "Coming down" catches them by surprise.  At the little-kid levels, often where games are timed, this procedure helps to get in more innings, keep the game moving, and get them more baseball and less "practice."

 

All the little kid games I do are Dixie or Nations --- both are OBR-modified, and OBR has a 1-minute limit between innings, like NFHS.

[mstaylor]

Your initial discussion was fine, when it happened again, ignore the coach, call for the batter. If the coach opens his mouth, hold your hand up and tell you have already discussed it. Anything else, dump him. Don't restrict him, dump him. And if the manager complains, he is on thin ice. 

[johnnyg08]

When he gets down to two remaining.  Tell the back up , one more.  Then go back to the dugout and the pitcher will stand there until he makes his fifth and final throw.  

 

They speed up quickly.  

 

Poor between inning management is my new pet peeve when working w/ veteran umpires and my new POE for working w/ newer umpires.

 

If they're going to try and make their own rules, then at five, call for the batter.  Each one he throws after that will be called a ball.

 

Very simple.  

 

Many umpires don't umpire very well between innings and it causes your games to last forever.

[tankmjg24]

The catcher did in fact make the final out all 3 times.  2 were off of fly balls and one was a force out at second (so much for a courtesy runner).  He did not give me lip any of the game, however he had an attitude that came out whenever he got out.  I think this attitude caused him to be a bit slower out of the dugout. 

 

The second and third time the coach came out to warm up the pitcher we only made it to the 5th pitch.  Each time we started the inning without the catcher getting his throw down.  The last time he asked me what was up and I informed him of the rule and that if I was him I would have a talk to his coach. 

 

Had the coach caught a 6th pitch, I had full intentions of throwing him out of the game, then by rule restricting the head coach. 

 

Our association also enforces the one foot in the box for the offense.  If they are out by an inch or two no big deal.  But as soon as it is farther than that it is " #__ please keep at least one foot in the box, thank you". 

 

In almost all of the games we do, we never have anyone complain about our game management.  Most of the time we get complemented on how we keep the game moving.  So far this year my shortest game was 1:10 minutes (a 6 1/2 inning game with the home team winning) and the longest 1:58 minutes (an 8 inning game with the home team winning with a walk off single). 

[NCAAump2]

Between inning management has also become a strong pet-peeve of mine.  At a youth complex I VERY RARELY work at (my friend is the UIC and I help out here and there), it's very common for the base umpire (for some unknown reason) to come in to talk to the PU between EVERY half inning.  I have watched some of these games, and they let at least 2-3 minutes go by between innings, which brings any kind of pace or momentum to a screeching halt.  Whenever I work these games, I either stay in SRF if I'm on the bases, or I tell my partner to stay out in SRF if I have the plate.  I have a job to do when between innings, and frankly, don't want to talk to my partner unless needed.  

[BigUmpire]

In youth ball I instruct our young guys to each take a dugout and “encourage" everyone to get ready. 

It also helps to put pressure on each coach to have his catcher in gear OR use a courtesy runner.

Tell the coach the first one out of the dugout on defense SHOULD be the catcher.

 

The alternative is to tell both coaches at the pregame “Gentlemen the umpires will be here for 1 hour and 40 min, how much baseball we play will depend on youâ€

 

“Game management in youth ball can be like herding catsâ€

Oops, another bumper sticker!

[mstaylor]

I have been doing a wooden bat league with a two hour drop dead. I simply tell them they are on a clock, let's go. After they throw pitch three, I hold up two fingers saying to the pitcher, two more. Then I turn to the ondeck batter and tell him, two more.

[RichMSN]

Clear instructions in NCAA baseball.  Warmup catcher catches the first 4, then hold up the pitcher for the game catcher.

 

I do the exact same in HS baseball.  Never had an issue with it.  There's no way I'm giving the pitcher extra throws just because the catcher isn't ready.

 

I also do not allow the catcher to go out and have a conversation with the pitcher before starting an inning in HS ball (even though we're not using a stopwatch) -- they both just came from the dugout and they can talk there.  I'll let them talk in the first inning and when a new pitcher comes in the game, but in other innings I will not.  If a coach were to ask, I'd simply tell him that pace of play is a POE and we're going to keep the game moving.

[blue23ll]

Like Rich, I have held up the pitcher on pitch number 5. I have also given only 2 or 3 pitches to a pitcher between innings, when a coach decided it was more important to have a team meeting between innings. Naturally he comes unglued, and I calmly stated, "coach, you have one minute between innings, you can talk or your kids can warm up, your choice".