Catcher Thinks It's The 3rd Out

[lawump]

 

 

Not to derail a good discussion, but how many of you take that ball out of play and replace it when F2 returns to home plate?  That is the argument I see from a coach - what did he do to that ball in the dugout?

If its a game where balls get changed frequently (pro or higher level college), then sure, I replace it.  For HS or JuCo for example -- I hope he altered it to throw more strikes!

 

The catcher wasn't in the dugout long enough to do anything to the baseball, but it would probably be a good idea to give him a new baseball to avoid any paranoia.

 

I'm curious why the catcher didn't either throw the ball into the stands or just toss it back to the mound.  You really never see a professional player take a baseball to the dugout with them.

 

On a side note...that's a good bet if you're at a minor league game with a couple buddies.  Everyone throw in a dollar every 1/2 inning and pass the money onto the next person each 1/2.  When a baseball makes it back to the mound after the inning the person with the money wins.

 

In my version, the ball, when rolled back to the mound, has to come to a complete stop on the dirt of the mound to win.