So he has to let the ball hit him in the face?

[MarsOmega]

Hello all, 

I was umpiring a Little League Majors game this Saturday and had a funny interaction with a clueless coach I would like to share.

Home team was in the field. Visitors were up to bat. The pitcher threw the ball and it was going towards the batters face. He put his hand up to protect his face from the ball. The ball then hit his hand instead of going into his face. The home team assistant coach was outraged. "He can't stick his hand out like that" I said "He was protecting himself from getting hit." He wanted none of that and wanted me to call the batter out. I thought that was histerical. Even if he had stuck his hand in the strike zone and touched the ball, it would just be a strike, not an automatic out. I disengaged and we resumed play.

If I was older (I'm 18) and had more bravery I might have gone over and said: "Wait a second, You say the instead of protecting himself, the batter has to let himself get hit full on in the face with the ball?"

[SeeingEyeDog]

Make sure you report that coach to your UIC and or league board. Someone needs to explain to him the importance of coaching and knowing the rules as well as how to properly and respectfully address and interact with umpires. Our LL brothers, you forever have my utmost respect because I absolutely could not tolerate this utter baseball stupidity...

~Dawg

[The Man in Blue]

Sounds like a foul ball to me.  Hands are part of the bat ... Right?  

 

I remember playing with a kid who was batSH*# crazy.  He caught a pitch headed at him and threw it back at the pitcher.  The pitcher wasn't expecting it and got hit with the throw.  Different times ... 

[eddieq]

When I was coaching girls FP in the 8U levels, we had one player that had barely aged in (had just turned 5).  She thought it was hilarious when she'd get hit.  Granted they played with the softee ball, but I recall a lobbing pitch heading right for her, instead of ducking, she stuck out her head to make sure it bonked her.  

I saw her several years later as an umpire.  She was a catcher, so all of it started making sense.

[BDad]

23 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

Sounds like a foul ball to me.  Hands are part of the bat ... Right?  

 

I remember playing with a kid who was batSH*# crazy.  He caught a pitch headed at him and threw it back at the pitcher.  The pitcher wasn't expecting it and got hit with the throw.  Different times ... 

Didn't I see that in a Walter Matthau-Tatum O'Neal movie? 🤣

[mac266]

On 5/15/2023 at 8:39 AM, SeeingEyeDog said:

Make sure you report that coach to your UIC and or league board. Someone needs to explain to him the importance of coaching and knowing the rules as well as how to properly and respectfully address and interact with umpires. Our LL brothers, you forever have my utmost respect because I absolutely could not tolerate this utter baseball stupidity...

~Dawg

^^^ What he said.  LL coaches are almost always clueless, even if they played in the MLB (yes, I'm completely serious with that comment; playing, coaching, and knowing the rules are NOT the same thing).  This idiot will continue being an idiot unless he is corrected by someone in the know.  Of course we are in the know, but he doesn't believe us.  He has been conditioned by other idiots not to.  PLEASE address it with your league supervision and they will talk to him.