Intentionally Missed Pitch

[Pearberr]

F/S game today.

One kid comes up in the 5th inning or so, clearly hasn't played much ball. Team was winning big so they got their big clumsy 6'8" kid an at bat. Teammates seem to love him. First pitch was a high strike around the letters that I had been calling all day (But on 5'8"-6'2" kids... looks a little different). The entire bench, for the first time, erupts, complaining about the pitch. I call time, give them a warning. 2-2 count later in the at bat, and the pitch comes in at the same spot around the letters. I ring the kid up. The bench is upset but doesn't explode like they did the first time. Coach chirps something but I choose not to hear it.

That was the third out. The team comes out for the next inning, and on the first pitch, the catcher never brings his glove up and even leans a little bit to get out of the way. Hits me square in the stomach. This is one of the better catchers I've had all year. Kept the ball off of me all day.

I'm 100% sure that the coach ordered the pitch. I have absolutely 0% evidence. What do I do? I told the catcher (This being a freshman kid) that I knew who ordered it but if it happened again, he, the catcher, would be going home.

And to make matters worse, I'm in a big association. 100 teams, 300 umpires. We never get the same team again. He could hit an umpire in every game and nobody would know any better. And I hopefully won't get him again as I like to think that I won't be getting freshman games next year (First Year High School starts at F/S regardless of previous experience).

[mtnump]

The way your story started out, I thought you were going to "intentionally miss the pitch" to not ring the guy up...but I guess that wasn't the case! Would probably be worth getting an email out to the Association as this coach has more than likely done this before and will do it again. Other than that, I am not too sure there is much else. Pretty bad way for the coach to teach these youngsters how to play.

[yawetag]

Pear, is this a high school game? If so, your state association should have reports you can file about the incident. In addition, the association you work with should have a report you can file as well. If it's not a high school game, the local organization should have paperwork.

If the applicable ones don't, ask for them to be available. While there's no definite proof of intent in your single incident, several incidents will show a pattern.

[mstaylor]

Absolutely file a report. Never let an unusual situation go without a report. I can be something like this, bad field conditions or any other thing that shouldn't happen again. As stated above a pattern is bad. I have a local HS team that is very good but they want to come out and shake hands during live ball. I correct them everytime I have them. It goes in the report.

[jnazz]

As for the situation - if you're sure they did it on purpose, I'm dumping the pitcher and catcher. Like you said, there was no evidence that the coach was involved so including the manager may be a stretch. Nearly the same situation happened to me about 6 years ago and I "wasn't 100% sure" either and didn't eject anyone or fill out a report. It really ate at me for a long time. You live and learn and I'll never make that mistake again.

Paperwork - most ejection reports are ejection/situation reports so fill one out anyway. Fill it out as you would any ejection report and submit it. Just mention that no one was ejected. You may not have ejected anyone on the field but by filling out a report, you've at least brought it to the league's attention and hopefully there'll be some sort of follow-up.

[jnazz]

Absolutely file a report. Never let an unusual situation go without a report. I can be something like this, bad field conditions or any other thing that shouldn't happen again. As stated above a pattern is bad. I have a local HS team that is very good but they want to come out and shake hands during live ball. I correct them everytime I have them. It goes in the report.

What do you mean by "shake hands during live ball"?

[HokieUmp]

That was the third out. The team comes out for the next inning, and on the first pitch, the catcher never brings his glove up and even leans a little bit to get out of the way. Hits me square in the stomach. This is one of the better catchers I've had all year. Kept the ball off of me all day.

I'm 100% sure that the coach ordered the pitch. I have absolutely 0% evidence. What do I do? I told the catcher (This being a freshman kid) that I knew who ordered it but if it happened again, he, the catcher, would be going home.

What you do is dump the catcher and the pitcher - no warning. And if the coach comes out hard enough, you'll get the hat-trick, anyway.

This is not something you should have let go, especially when you're talking about a large association, because that's a tactic this team will use again until stopped.

If you haven't written an incident report, write one. And bury them in it when you do.

[Rich Ives]

F/S game today.

One kid comes up in the 5th inning or so, clearly hasn't played much ball. Team was winning big so they got their big clumsy 6'8" kid an at bat. Teammates seem to love him. First pitch was a high strike around the letters that I had been calling all day (But on 5'8"-6'2" kids... looks a little different). The entire bench, for the first time, erupts, complaining about the pitch. I call time, give them a warning. 2-2 count later in the at bat, and the pitch comes in at the same spot around the letters. I ring the kid up. The bench is upset but doesn't explode like they did the first time. Coach chirps something but I choose not to hear it.

That was the third out. The team comes out for the next inning, and on the first pitch, the catcher never brings his glove up and even leans a little bit to get out of the way. Hits me square in the stomach. This is one of the better catchers I've had all year. Kept the ball off of me all day.

I'm 100% sure that the coach ordered the pitch. I have absolutely 0% evidence. What do I do? I told the catcher (This being a freshman kid) that I knew who ordered it but if it happened again, he, the catcher, would be going home.

And to make matters worse, I'm in a big association. 100 teams, 300 umpires. We never get the same team again. He could hit an umpire in every game and nobody would know any better. And I hopefully won't get him again as I like to think that I won't be getting freshman games next year (First Year High School starts at F/S regardless of previous experience).

1) You got hit on purpose.

2) I'd bet a substantial amount the kids did it on their own.

3) There was something special going on. You should have been given a message somehow. Perhaps whatever the teammates were yelling was a clue. Maybe their coach should have alerted you. Who knows. It's too late this time. Maybe the other team knew - you could have asked the catcher something like "what gives with those guys" and maybe he knew. If both teams knew then a conspiricy to achieve a desired might have been a wise move.

[UMP45]

jnazz, it is common practice for players to come out of the dugout to congratulate their teammates when they score or sacrifice. They end up getting to far from the dugout while the ball is still live.

[Umpire in Chief]

If you have the slightest thought that they are throwing at you, you have to toss at least the pitcher and catcher immediately, and since you feel the coach ordered it he's gone too.

One of my associations is dealing with a similar situation where an ump was intentionally thrown at. The umps didn't toss the offenders and from what I understand the discipline was initiated by the offending teams AD who witnessed the incident.

[jnazz]

jnazz, it is common practice for players to come out of the dugout to congratulate their teammates when they score or sacrifice. They end up getting to far from the dugout while the ball is still live.

Oh, ok. I was thinking it was something along those lines.

[mstaylor]

Yes, they want to come out like it's a HR and shake hands. In HS kids are not to be out of the dugout. I had them twice last week, the first

i was on the plate. A kid scored and the whole team comes out to shake hands. I yelled down the manager to put them in the dugout and keep them there. The batter said they are just picking him up. I looked at him and asked if he fell down, I must have missed it. They stayed in the rest of the day.

Two days later I have them again and I'm on the bases. Sure enough they do it again. I yelled at the manager,"Are you kidding me?" He said the ball was dead. I asked him what in the play made the ball dead? He couldn't tell me. Nothing is the answer.

[SnareDrum]

(Does anybody remember or have a vid of an umpire getting blasted in the facemask a few years ago when the catcher and pitcher did it on purpose? I think it was a HS playoff somewhere but I can't quite remember...)

I kinda' agree with Rich Ives. I think the kids did this on their own and even their coach didn't have a clue. Perhaps the kid you punched out was a guy that never got to play much but always hustled in practice and was everybody's buddy, so the high-strike K peeved them off.

The catcher could've even done it alone. All he has to do is ask for a fastball inside & up. Regardless, file every report possible because, as some have mentioned, if this is a pattern, it needs to be stopped. And even though every game is a new game, please mention this to all the other guys you work with this season. A couple of weeks down the road, one of them may have the same team and they'll see something or have something happen. ONce MAY be an accident, or worse, a temporary lack of sanity and judgment. Two or three times and this team is going to have major issues.

[Austex]

The video I believe Roger K is referring to can be found at the following link:

[SnareDrum]

THAT'S THE ONE! It doesn't look like a fastball, but taking one square in the grill sucks regardless. This one was pretty blatant by the catcher. I know a lot of guys out there remember seeing this, and if you haven't, well here you go... I think there's more to it regarding the aftermath, but I can't recall for sure. If anybody else does, chip in. Pearberr, you were fortunate that your pitch wasn't a foot higher. Write them up!

Thanks Austex!!

[mstaylor]

I believe one of the players lost their scolarship to college.

[SnareDrum]

Above vid just to show that it could happen. It was the state championship game... they were apparently upset over the umpire's K's... they lost 13-1, $1000 fine to the school and the catcher lost his scholarship... Without the video it would've been just about impossible to prove anything. Please write those guys up!

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(from pbumpires.com)

ga high school catcher loses college scholarship.

Catcher ducks pitch that hits umpire in head.

Steve Weisher 6/16/2008 5:30:00 PMCARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- A "missed pitch" has cost a Georgia high school baseball player his college playing time. Gordon College has withdrawn its offer to catcher Matt Hill. Hill was the catcher during a game in which Hill seemed to duck and miss catching the ball which hit an umpire in the face mask. Copy and paste the link below to view a video of the event.

State athletic officials fined Stephens County High School $1,000 and placed the baseball program on "severe warning status" Wednesday for beaning an umpire during the state championship game last weekend.

Video of the incident during the game on Saturday shows Stephens County catcher Matt Hill ducking at the last second and the pitch striking umpire Jeff Scott in the face mask.

Scott told Channel 2's Richard Elliot, "(The pitch) came as a surprise. Disbelief more than anything."

The pitch from Cody Martin came during the third and deciding game in the state championship between Stephens County and Cartersville, won 13-1 by Cartersville.

The players and their coach still insist there was a mix-up on the pitch. But Georgia High School Association executive director Ralph Swearngin, who watched video of the pitch, didn't see it that way.

"I made my decision primarily by watching whether the catcher tracked the pitch with his eyes," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "In my opinion, he did not. I think that he would have been searching for the ball if it were a matter of being crossed up."

"I'd say the video pretty much speaks for itself," said Scott. Scott also said the pitch did injure him. "I'm currently under a doctor's care and I'm still waiting for all the results to be evaluated."

The Stephens County principal has apologized for the incident and said he thinks the punishment is fair.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=-tsFSALrA1o