Batter requesting time

[Umpire in Chief]

I had a situation yesterday that I've never had before and I've done it this way forever without an incident and wanted to get your thoughts.

Batter requests time verbally while in the box.

I judge the pitcher was beginning and say, "No" loud enough to ensure he knew I was not granting him time.

Pitch is delivered and the batter swings and grounds out to the pitcher for the 3rd out. 

Batter complains that my saying no distracted him and the coach says if I'm not going to give time I just shouldn't say anything. 

Do you say no or something in these situations or say nothing?

[noumpere]

I say "no".  Coach is just fishing.

[Welpe]

I agree, the batter and coach are fishing. I think "No" gives a solid answer and doesn't leave anything to question.

Now the batter and coach know that they run that risk of asking for time that late.

[scrounge]

And if you didn't say anything, they'd complain about that and say they were caught off-guard waiting for the answer.

 

Question asked. Question answered. We're done here.

[maineump]

I don't answer a hand from him - he has to ask. I give the NO so both batter and catcher hear it

[NCAAump2]

Not saying my way is the right way, but if the batter requests time too late, I typically don't say anything.  I guess my logic is that if I don't respond, the batter will (should)know that time wasn't granted.  On the flip side, if he asks for time and I determine that I'm going to grant it, everyone will know it.

[Specks]

I don't say anything.

[ricka56]

That would have been a very short convo with the coach. The coach is just trying to blame you for his players failings. I have said no, then the surprised batter steps into the pitch and crushes it for a double on several occasions. Joke with F2 that maybe I should have given him TIME.   

[Umpire in Chief]

Thanks, I ask because I can't remember any training or specific instruction being told to say or not say anything. 

[JaxRolo]

I never say anything. But don't see why that would be distracting. Had he got a base hit he wouldn't have said anything.

[maven]

I say "no." I don't say it very loudly: the only person who needs to hear me is the batter, and his ear is not far from me.

If a batter said I distracted him, I might apologize: I intended to deny his request, not to distract him. His being distracted by the denial is not a reason to change anything.

If I distracted the pitcher, I might be inclined to reset and redo (and I'd probably blame the batter ).

[Cato the Younger]

2 hours ago, ricka56 said:

That would have been a very short convo with the coach. The coach is just trying to blame you for his players failings. I have said no, then the surprised batter steps into the pitch and crushes it for a double on several occasions. Joke with F2 that maybe I should have given him TIME.   

 

Or even better after batter steps into the pitch and crushes it for a double bring him back and say you gave him time and see the batters coach's reaction.

I agree with the others that said the coach was fishing.

[UMP45]

I say "Stay".

 

[Replacematt]

2 hours ago, UMP45 said:

I say "Stay".

 

Why? He can leave at risk of the consequences. 

[maven]

3 hours ago, UMP45 said:

I say "Stay".

 

That's not responsive to a request for time. We either grant or deny the request.

[UMP45]

Does it really matter what I say?

[ricka56]

15 hours ago, Cato the Younger said:

Or even better after batter steps into the pitch and crushes it for a double bring him back and say you gave him time and see the batters coach's reaction.

I hope that's a joke. Why would you throw away your integrity to make that point ?  

I have had coaches ask me why I'm denying the batter TIME. I will explain, "I'll grant a reasonable request for TIME, but when F1 is about to deliver a pitch and hasn't frozen the batter, I don't allow the batter to mess with F1's rhythm by calling TIME. And you wouldn't want me to allow their batters to mess your F1's rhythm either".    

[maven]

10 hours ago, UMP45 said:

Does it really matter what I say?

Matter to whom? Does it matter to you? Do you care about becoming a better communicator? Do you think that reflecting on your current practices holds any possibility that you could make yourself a better umpire if you find that something different works better for you?

[johnnyg08]

I told a batter no last year and he hit a three-run bomb on the pitch.  Plate umpire decides when to grant time. 

IMO, too many umpires grant time way too late and it delays the game.  

There are times to grant and there are times to keep the game moving.  There's an art to that piece.

[FleasOf1000Camels]

I don't say anything in this situation.  Same logic as applies when we don't announce a batted ball to be "fair".

The ball is in play until we kill it.