Batter Called Out For Stepping On Or Across Home Plate

[Guest Gerard]

We have runners on 2nd and 3rd in a close game with 1 out. Our batter is behind in the count 1 ball 2 strikes, next pitch is low and outside way off the plate and our batter does not swing but is called out. Umpire states our batter crossed or stepped on home plate. While I agree he may have done this as he was trying to protect. I know his momentum carried him outside while he was looking at the pitch being caught, he simply lost his balance after the catcher caught the outside pitch and fell forward a little but he did not swing or even check swing. We argued the batter needs to hit the ball for it to be illegal but both umpires would not budge on their ruling, even after we explained if it's an inside pitch and the batter moves out of the box crossing or touching the plate would you call him out because he lost his balance avoiding the pitch? It's 11U travel baseball, we don't get caught up in protesting or even arguing calls that are beyond our control but this seemed pretty harsh and I guess a blatant home field umpire call. If I'm wrong I apologize for the last statement.

 

BTW these are the same umpires who made the balk call when our pitcher engaged the rubber from the windup claiming he stepped on the rubber with the wrong foot. Travel baseball paid umpires South Florida baseball.

[th3]

are you sure they wern't calling interference for the batter interfering on the catchers attempt to pick off a runner?

[Richvee]

"...and I guess a blatant home field umpire call."

 

This isn't going to go over well, my friend. We're don't have a "home" team. Accusing us of cheating will not get your questions answered, and say this on the field and you'll be in the parking lot for the remainder of the afternoon. 

 

Your league needs some better educated umpires. 

[Richvee]

are you sure they wern't calling interference for the batter interfering on the catchers attempt to pick off a runner?

I was also wondering about this, and I think in his balk example his F1 may have went from, the stretch to the windup without stepping off. 

[ricka56]

"...and I guess a blatant home field umpire call."

 

Your league needs some better educated umpires. 

That is, if things REALLY are as the OP says they are. In my expereince, what a parent's saw/heard is often very different from what the umpire saw/said.

 

This is the 2nd wild ass umpire story you've told us. I am now dubious. If the umpires were really this incompetent, appreciate the next more competent ones you get.

[Guest Gerard]

I have full respect for umpires and that is what I teach to the kids, anything we question is done respectfully and calmly so that the kids do not hear. Whether we're right or wrong we always accept the final decisions made by umpires but it doesn't mean we can't research and ask questions to find out if the calls were accurrate. We won both games which were very close so in the end it did not hurt us. I'll never accuse an umpire directly of making erroneous calls to favor the home team but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen, my statement was just me personally venting. Umpires make mistakes all the time as do coaches, it's part of the game but I guess what irritated us the most is the fact that the umpires did not even consider they interpreted the rules incorrectly on both calls after we explained to them our interpretation of the rules. While I did vent here, this was honestly not meant to bash umpires and sincerely apologize it was not my intention.

 

The catcher by the way dove to the right catching the outside pitch so there was no interference by the batter or obstruction in any way with the runners on 2nd & 3rd, the catcher was actually getting off the ground when the call was made.

 

 

[Guest Gerard]

Also, I don't consider these wild ass umpire stories just weird interpretations of the rules for whatever reason. Again it was not meant to bash umpires just wanted to confirm the acccuracy of the calls. Our pitcher was behind the rubber facing the batter and stepped on the top of the rubber with his pivot foot, the umpire even showed our pitcher and us how he should step on the rubber from the windup with runners on base (2nd & 3rd) so a balk is not called. We told him we felt he was using the stepping off rubber rule from windup which is a mistake and he replied no I am not. Again our pitcher was stepping onto the rubber from the windup when the balk was called.

[DVA7130]

Either interference or a misinterpretation of the out of the box rule.

[mstaylor]

If both stories are as you say then they certainly got them both wrong. You are correct that he has to touch the ball to be out for stepping out of the box. As noted above they could have gotten him for batter's interference if the catcher had attempted or thrown at a runner. If you aren't going to protest then all you can do is ask for the ruling and try to convince them of their error. Sounds like they aren't open to that but try you must. 

It sounds like you are playing travel ball, and unfortunately quite often you get less than spectacular umpires working that level. Mistakes will happen but more likely due to lack of training or rules knowledge than because of homer umpiring. Keep asking questions, at your level, even if you agree with the call, odd things will happen. If nothing else it will increase your knowledge and help you to debate the umpire. 

[basejester]

They're only paid umpires, not volunteers. What do you expect?

;-)

[jjb]

You have to excuse us if we get a little testy when people accuse Umpires of cheating. It’s not that we don’t believe that there are incompetent Umpires out there (there are) or that there are competent Umpires who mis-apply rules (they do), or just plain ol’ blow calls (we all do). It’s just that we know that making, as you say “a blatant home-field call†is much more difficult that you can imagine.

 

If we’ve got a close play at, say, first base (called a “bangerâ€), we’ve got about a tenth of a second to (1) read the play (2) pause and decide and (3) make the call. I can tell you there are times where a certain decision benefits the Umpire (such as, it lets the winning run score and we don’t have to complete another inning). But, due to the speed of the play and the countless times we’ve made the same play, we instinctively make the best call we can make (and mutter to ourselves afterward). There just isn’t any time to think “OK, I called them safe last time, now I’ll call them outâ€, or, “This is the Home team, I’ll call him safeâ€. It just doesn’t work that way.

 

Maybe you got bad apples, maybe you got just plain bad Umpires, we don’t know. They generally sink to the bottom of the pool, as nobody wants to work (or play) with them. I think that they blew both calls, and you should have protested. If you don’t want to protest, then don’t, but that’s your only recourse.

[Texas Manny]

From the Wendelstedt Umpire School Rules & Interpretations Manual, 7.4.6 - Illegally Batted Ball, pg 122:

 

His bat makes contact with a pitched ball with one or both of his feet on the ground entirely outside of the batter's box [6.06(a)] 274, 275.

 

You should be especially mindful of the batter's feet in when a batter is attempting to bunt at a pitch, on a pitch out, or an intentional walk.

 

There is no penalty for a batter stepping on home plate while contacting a pitch. Since home plate is only 6" from the lines of the batter's box, it is impossible for a batter to setp on home plate and still not be out of the batter's box.

 

Legal: Both feet on, or within the lines of the box. May occur when batter tries to squeeze bunt on outside pitch.

 

Illegal:

 

One foot entirely outisde the line of the box. May occur on a swing or a bunt for a base hit.

 

One foot entirely outside the lines of the box. May occur on a drag bunt.

 

One foot entirely outside the lines of the box. May occur on a sacrifice bunt.

 

 

Footnotes:

 

274: NFHS 5-1-3, 7-3-2

275: NCAA 7-10(A)

 

 

End of Wendelstedt

[mstaylor]

I meant to mention it but Manny makes a point, stepping on the plate is not in itself illegal, even if you contact the ball. What is illegal is stepping completely out of the box and contacting the ball. So if any part of his foot is touching the batter's box, even if the rest is on the plate. 

The other possibility is your umpires may have high school experience. In HS, stepping on the plate at all and contacting the ball is an out. For some reason they don't allow that his foot may be on the line. 

[Texas Manny]

I meant to mention it but Manny makes a point, stepping on the plate is not in itself illegal, even if you contact the ball. What is illegal is stepping completely out of the box and contacting the ball. So if any part of his foot is touching the batter's box, even if the rest is on the plate. 

The other possibility is your umpires may have high school experience. In HS, stepping on the plate at all and contacting the ball is an out. For some reason they don't allow that his foot may be on the line. 

Thank you Mike. Just for clarification, the Wendelstedt Manual is just OBR interpretations. He footnotes the corresponding rules in NFHS and NCAA. The staff at WUS leaves it up to the individual umpire to cross-reference.

[blue23ll]

Is Wendelstedt Manual related to Jerry Manual?