Position

[ogie oglethorpe]

With a two man crew how far should the plate umpire get down the 3rd base line on a for sure extra base hit? Thanks for your time

[wolfe_man]

If no one on base, then the field umpire has the batter/runner all the way.  

If runners on, then you may need to stay home in case a runner is coming - or - you may need to rotate up to third base in case there is a play with a runner moving over from 1st base.

[noumpere]

1 hour ago, wolfe_man said:

If no one one base, then the field umpire has the batter/runner all the way. 

That's the better mechanic, I agree -- but some areas give this play to PU.  So, PU needs to be far enough down the line that he can get to a good position at third and be set by the time any play happens there.  For most, that's something like a gentle stroll about half way up the line, and then read the play.  If BR pulls up as he heads to second, just stay there.  If BR is rounding second hard, then a more aggressive move toward third by PU, and get all the way tho third of BR commits.

[LRZ]

"some areas give this play to PU...."

This is what I was taught years ago, but the current mechanic around here is to let the BU take the runner all the way into 3d. This is always part of my pre-game discussion, so my partner and I are in agreement.

[yawetag]

PU covering 3B on a bases-empty triple is a Fed mechanic. I suspect it was to prevent an umpire trying to out-run a high school player. However, with proper reading of the situation, you should be in the third base side of 2B while observing the touch when you see it's going to be a triple.

[MadMax]

37 minutes ago, LRZ said:

but the current correct mechanic around here nearly (should be) everywhere is to let the BU take the runner all the way into 3d.

FIFY.

I've found, through experience, that there is a near-direct correlation between the teaching of a "perfect buttonhook pivot" and the mechanical mandate of the PU taking the BR at 3B on that triple, at the High School officiating level (I do NOT mean College or Pro training courses). If you execute a "perfect buttonhook pivot", two things are occurring that hamper – or if you're not an athletic body type and fleet of foot – or thwart your efforts to get to 3B: 1) you are doing that stupid trust-exercise-thing, and turning away from the ball, and 2) you're coming to a (near) dead stop on the infield, fixated on the runner and his touch of 1B.

If you perform a Dash-&-Glance, wherein you keep your chest to the ball, you have much greater latitude to regulate your angle, speed, and position to adjust to the play. The route(s) I take, all while on the move, are in accordance to where the ball is, yet afford me the ability to turn my head at key moments to observe the touch of 1B by the BR, then to either gravitate towards 2B (if the throw is going there), or to adjust and route towards 3B while still being able to observe the touch of 2B by the BR. I'm not ceasing my movement until I read that a play is imminent, and I'm pretty much chest-to-ball for the entirety of the play.

"Ah-ha! What about a ball hit to the RF corner? You can't go chest-to-ball on that!"

Yeah... RF corner... Why didn't you go out on that? Anyway, even if it is something to RF and I didn't go out (BU), I can still adjust my routes and speed to put me in the best positions to observe the touch at 1B by BR, see the play upon and throw of the ball, and set myself up for the play upon the BR at either 2B or 3B... without doing a buttonhook pivot.

(the above statement was not directed at _you_, @LRZ, just inspired by what you and @yawetag posted)

 

[Guest Falco]

On 2/27/2019 at 2:08 PM, MadMax said:

FIFY.

I've found, through experience, that there is a near-direct correlation between the teaching of a "perfect buttonhook pivot" and the mechanical mandate of the PU taking the BR at 3B on that triple, at the High School officiating level (I do NOT mean College or Pro training courses). If you execute a "perfect buttonhook pivot", two things are occurring that hamper – or if you're not an athletic body type and fleet of foot – or thwart your efforts to get to 3B: 1) you are doing that stupid trust-exercise-thing, and turning away from the ball, and 2) you're coming to a (near) dead stop on the infield, fixated on the runner and his touch of 1B.

If you perform a Dash-&-Glance, wherein you keep your chest to the ball, you have much greater latitude to regulate your angle, speed, and position to adjust to the play. The route(s) I take, all while on the move, are in accordance to where the ball is, yet afford me the ability to turn my head at key moments to observe the touch of 1B by the BR, then to either gravitate towards 2B (if the throw is going there), or to adjust and route towards 3B while still being able to observe the touch of 2B by the BR. I'm not ceasing my movement until I read that a play is imminent, and I'm pretty much chest-to-ball for the entirety of the play.

"Ah-ha! What about a ball hit to the RF corner? You can't go chest-to-ball on that!"

Yeah... RF corner... Why didn't you go out on that? Anyway, even if it is something to RF and I didn't go out (BU), I can still adjust my routes and speed to put me in the best positions to observe the touch at 1B by BR, see the play upon and throw of the ball, and set myself up for the play upon the BR at either 2B or 3B... without doing a buttonhook pivot.

(the above statement was not directed at _you_, @LRZ, just inspired by what you and @yawetag posted)

 

With no one on base on a clean base hit, plate umpire is to go to “library” and observe. 15 feet 1st base extended. Base unpire takes batter/runner all the way to 3rd and he has the touch on every base. Plate umpire has play at home and touch at home.

[yawetag]

2 hours ago, Guest Falco said:

With no one on base on a clean base hit, plate umpire is to go to “library” and observe. 15 feet 1st base extended. Base unpire takes batter/runner all the way to 3rd and he has the touch on every base. Plate umpire has play at home and touch at home.

What do you mean by "15 feet 1st base extended"?

With no runners and a clean base hit to the outfield, PU should be coming out to the area between the plate and the pitcher's mound, usually more toward the side in which the ball was hit. He's watching the action of the outfielders, maybe even helping BU on that touch of 1B by the BR (though that's very secondary).

This position also helps in case your partner gets tangled up somehow (trips, runs into a fielder, etc). You can react to that and move toward a base for a possible play to help him out. This is very rare, but I've been able to cover 3B for an older partner that got a late jump or just couldn't keep up with a speedy runner. I've done this a handful of times in my career, and usually when it's a screamer into left field, I'm already there, and my partner hasn't even crossed into the 3B side of the infield as BR is a few steps beyond 2B.

[MadMax]

19 hours ago, Guest Falco said:

With no one on base on a clean base hit, plate umpire is to go to “library” and observe.

“Is to go” ?

If this is your directive, Falco, you’re proving the antiquation of this derelict variety of the 2-man System.

As @yawetag says:

16 hours ago, yawetag said:

With no runners and a clean base hit to the outfield, PU should be coming out to the area between the plate and the pitcher's mound, usually more toward the side in which the ball was hit. 

Point is, with no other runners on, get your PU arse out from behind the plate!!! Surely, the BU has (should have) the BR all the way to 3B, but that doesn’t mean that PU can go sit in foul territory and just brush up on his latest reading. What if this “clean base hit” of which you speak is to right field, and your BU misreads it as trouble, and goes out? Is a PU really going to stand out there in the library and continue to observe?

Ohhhhh, I get it... stepping out from behind the plate into the infield with little ball-tykes on 46-60 and 50-70 is likely nervewracking. I mean, that PU probably won’t be able to react quick enough if the ball gets fumbled and thrown about while BR goes all the way around and touches them all on a single... with three errors.

[WilsonFlyer]

Wait. What? I'm supposed to move somewhere with all that equipment on?

[Aging_Arbiter]

Equipment?