Bowa Ejection After Apparent Quick Pitch

[stkjock]

[maven]

http://m.mlb.com/video/v410551983/

[stkjock]

did the embedding not work?  it seems from my office it's hit or miss for me on getting it embedded.

 

Thank you Maven

[Jimurray]

did the embedding not work?  it seems from my office it's hit or miss for me on getting it embedded.

 

Thank you Maven

I'm assuming time was called to note the PH, Ruff. But I see Bellino in a ready position for the pitch. I don't know if Bellino routinely puts the ball in play with no runners but I just saw another MLB umpire not do it. Whether you put in play or not the pitcher still has to wait for the batter to be ready. I think Bellino should have enforced the QP penalty unless he always puts the ball in play. 

[basejester]

 

 

That's interesting example for this discussion (particularly, @DVA7130 's point):

Is one of the umpires chewing a giant wad of tobacco?  It looks pretty crazy to me.

[umpstu]

Much ado about nothing.  It wasn't as if the guy was trying to drill the batter, just do it over.

[Platejob29]

I'm assuming time was called to note the PH, Ruff. But I see Bellino in a ready position for the pitch. I don't know if Bellino routinely puts the ball in play with no runners but I just saw another MLB umpire not do it. Whether you put in play or not the pitcher still has to wait for the batter to be ready. I think Bellino should have enforced the QP penalty unless he always puts the ball in play. 

The reason being that the QP penalty wasn't enforced is because Bellino did not believe the pitch was intentionally thrown to deceive the batter. The reason that he goes into his squat even after calling time to see the pitch is so that he doesn't get smoked on a ball that gets fouled off if the batter just barely manages to get his bat around. Putting the ball in play is a wasted motion at that level due to the natural pace of game. Most of the time you'll get yourself in more trouble at the higher levels by putting it in play than by not putting it in play. That is because when you take the time to put it in play you cause a slight delay that most pitchers and hitters don't want to work around.

[Jimurray]

The reason being that the QP penalty wasn't enforced is because Bellino did not believe the pitch was intentionally thrown to deceive the batter. The reason that he goes into his squat even after calling time to see the pitch is so that he doesn't get smoked on a ball that gets fouled off if the batter just barely manages to get his bat around. Putting the ball in play is a wasted motion at that level due to the natural pace of game. Most of the time you'll get yourself in more trouble at the higher levels by putting it in play than by not putting it in play. That is because when you take the time to put it in play you cause a slight delay that most pitchers and hitters don't want to work around.

I think the previous batter called and got time when I and the pitcher thought he was doing it to change the pitcher's rhythm. Pitcher might have been upset with PHL trying to slow him down so you might be right about not deliberately to catch the batter not ready. 

[DVA7130]

I support the QP penalty 100% on this play.

[grayhawk]

I support the QP penalty 100% on this play.

Except time was called (appropriately) to try and prevent the pitcher from delivering when the batter wasn't looking.  Can't enforce a QP when time has been called.

[Thunderheads]

Confirming; Bowa=Douche-nozzle

[the_umpire]

I think Bellino handled that situation very well.

[Jimurray]

Sidenote: I think Robles is a sideways pitcher. From what I can tell he takes the rubber with his hands together and if he is going to come set he then splits them. If he is going to wind up (his "normal" or his quick one) he leaves them together and proceeds with the pitch.

[BillKen]

I just shake my head at this.  Pitcher pitches before the batter is ready...ump calls time...nothing happens...Phillies get pissed (because nothing happened and the umpire handled it perfectly)...umpire keeps Francour in the game despite him being stupid...Bowa explodes.  

It makes my head hurt!

[zoops]

 

Is one of the umpires chewing a giant wad of tobacco?  It looks pretty crazy to me.

I wonder how much tobacco Marquez goes through in a season - not sure I've ever seen him without a cheek full.  

[JDavis225]

The reason being that the QP penalty wasn't enforced is because Bellino did not believe the pitch was intentionally thrown to deceive the batter. The reason that he goes into his squat even after calling time to see the pitch is so that he doesn't get smoked on a ball that gets fouled off if the batter just barely manages to get his bat around. Putting the ball in play is a wasted motion at that level due to the natural pace of game. Most of the time you'll get yourself in more trouble at the higher levels by putting it in play than by not putting it in play. That is because when you take the time to put it in play you cause a slight delay that most pitchers and hitters don't want to work around.

Really? That's news to me. I was trained to put the ball back in play every time the ball becomes dead. Can anyone verify the theory of "putting the ball in play is a wasted motion at that level?" 

[Jimurray]

Went back and viewed the inning courtesy of my MLB.com subscription. I'd have to see more of Robles in person because TV cuts back and forth and you don't always see the pitcher but I see Robles normally taking the rubber with his hands together and dropping the throwing hand to the side. He then comes set and delivers. He did this with the previous batter, Galvis except for one time. Robles took the rubber and did not drop his hand to his side. Thus currently in OBR he can windup. But a windup pitcher does not have to windup. Robles uses this address of the rubber to throw without a windup. Galvis recognized the "tell" and asked for time and got it. Normally we wouldn't give time but I'm guessing the PU knows whats going on also. Robles was not happy with Galvis and went back to a normal set for the next pitch. 

BTW, anyone notice Robles sleeves were not same length. No body complaining though.

 

Edited September 1, 2015 by Jimurray

[MadMax]

Really? That's news to me. I was trained to put the ball back in play every time the ball becomes dead. Can anyone verify the theory of "putting the ball in play is a wasted motion at that level?" 

The lack of a definite "putting the ball back in play by PU" in the Majors (I can not speak verifiably for the Minors, but I would guess it would be the case as well) is a corollary of The Live Ball Era. With a new baseball put into play so often – even after a pitch in the dirt possibly getting scuffed – there was instituted an assumption. Unless Time was called for an atypical reason, requiring the PU to determine when to make the ball Live again, then "that ball" is assumed Live when it is in the pitcher's possession, on the rubber, ready to pitch.

Watch a game sometime, and you'll see on, say, a double off the wall, and the BR will arrive at 2B and request Time (this is one of those things that amatuer baseball players mimic that drive us freakin' nuts). Time is granted by the umpire(s). BR (now R2) sheds his elbow guard and ankle guard, and hands it to his 1BC, while (likely) the ball is being changed out. F1 now has a new ball, R2 is back on the bag, next batter is taking his air swings outside the box, and F1 gets back on the rubber, and gets ready to pitch. Watch carefully – the ball is now assumed Live, and the PU has not signaled "Play!". Most (nearly all) pitchers understand not to pitch until the batter is in the box, ready to hit – call it a professional understanding or courtesy. 

If any other Umpires who work higher level ball (or know its complexities), and can expand further on this, please do so.

[Mudisfun]

The lack of a definite "putting the ball back in play by PU" in the Majors (I can not speak verifiably for the Minors, but I would guess it would be the case as well) is a corollary of The Live Ball Era. With a new baseball put into play so often – even after a pitch in the dirt possibly getting scuffed – there was instituted an assumption. Unless Time was called for an atypical reason, requiring the PU to determine when to make the ball Live again, then "that ball" is assumed Live when it is in the pitcher's possession, on the rubber, ready to pitch.

Watch a game sometime, and you'll see on, say, a double off the wall, and the BR will arrive at 2B and request Time (this is one of those things that amatuer baseball players mimic that drive us freakin' nuts). Time is granted by the umpire(s). BR (now R2) sheds his elbow guard and ankle guard, and hands it to his 1BC, while (likely) the ball is being changed out. F1 now has a new ball, R2 is back on the bag, next batter is taking his air swings outside the box, and F1 gets back on the rubber, and gets ready to pitch. Watch carefully – the ball is now assumed Live, and the PU has not signaled "Play!". Most (nearly all) pitchers understand not to pitch until the batter is in the box, ready to hit – call it a professional understanding or courtesy. 

If any other Umpires who work higher level ball (or know its complexities), and can expand further on this, please do so.

One tangent of this that I have noticed is that often after swapping out the ball and the batter still a step or two from the box I will see the PU make a nonchalant point to the mound putting the ball back into play but without making any real production of it. This still officially puts the pall into play but in such a way that the game is not delayed with waiting on the batter to get in the box and set etc.