Video: Bunt Attempt, HBP - What would you call here??

[UAME]

This is a video of me behind the plate at a 19U tournament on Independence Day.

Video quality is not great, so to explain what you can't see:  the pitch hits the batter in the right hand/forearm, never contacts the bat.

What do you have here:  Dead ball/HBP & award 1B??   Dead ball/Strike??

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KYCIjS83dfkwhED2K9H6wrHf39HCmalL/view?usp=sharing

 

 

 

[Velho]

I don't see the batter offer at the pitch, it's not a strike, and I don't see him leaning into the pitch. Didn't get the bat so foul is not possible. It him so HBP.

[noumpere]

Agreed.  And, someone needs to teach the kid how to bunt.  Or, maybe he's just preparing for the Savannah Bananas (bunting is no tllowed).

[834k3r]

I have the batter trying to hit the low and inside pitch. If the ball hit him, I have a DBS.

But I completely agree he needs to learn to bunt.

So, @UAME what did you call in real life?

[beerguy55]

On first look I see no offer - HBP take your base.

After a few looks, I see him pulling his bat back AFTER the pitch misses it.  He doesn't "offer", per se, but it seems he's kind of going "uh oh...the pitch missed my bat, better pull back to make this look good".

[UAME]

5 hours ago, 834k3r said:

I have the batter trying to hit the low and inside pitch. If the ball hit him, I have a DBS.

But I completely agree he needs to learn to bunt.

So, @UAME what did you call in real life?

So my call was 100% "First Impression" / Instinct / Reflex, based on where I was in the slot and what my eyes captured.  If you watch the video (or pause and progress frame-by-frame), focus on the batter's left elbow (the arm controlling the hand at the knob.)  When he flares that elbow towards 3B, that is him moving the bat to meet the ball, trying to get the barrel on a pitch that is coming into his batter's box.

He didn't pull and spin backwards until the pitch hit him in the hand.  Because I saw that additional movement of the bat towards the path of the pitch, I called a Dead Ball Strike.  The Batter headed to first and I had to stop him and explain that I had him attempting to bunt.  R1 had advanced to 2B so we had to get his attention and have him return to 1B.

Almost instantly, I was second-guessing my entire decision - not because I thought it was technically the incorrect call with respect to the rule, but because it was not the expected/accepted call and probably damaged (or at best, brought into question) my credibility.  The ensuing discussion with the offensive head coach was brief.  It was far from being an argument from anyone (more confusion, than anything.)  I think if I had just called a HBP and awarded first, no one (offense, defense, or fans) would have blinked.  Instead, many were scratching their heads for a minute.

The batter didn't have time to think; I think he was committed to executing the bunt and instinctively moved the bat to try to bunt a very bad pitch.  As a general philosophy, I prefer to protect the batter on pitches that are in his box:  if it's running in and all over him, I don't put much thought into how much or how successfully he tried to avoid getting hit.     

[Richvee]

It's close. I can make an argument for either call. 

I'

ll add this...These guys are getting real good and sticking that bat head out there, and pulling back after an attempt to make it look like no attempt. I've called strikes on such pitches more this year than ever. (With very little pushback from the offense). "Coach, he offered and pulled back after he missed it"

[grayhawk]

47 minutes ago, Richvee said:

It's close. I can make an argument for either call. 

I'

ll add this...These guys are getting real good and sticking that bat head out there, and pulling back after an attempt to make it look like no attempt. I've called strikes on such pitches more this year than ever. (With very little pushback from the offense). "Coach, he offered and pulled back after he missed it"

He can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

[ArchAngel72]

I see DBS

 

 

[Velho]

More bunt tricks

 

[Velho]

On 7/8/2025 at 2:34 PM, UAME said:

Because I saw that additional movement of the bat towards the path of the pitch, I called a Dead Ball Strike. 

I ain't mad at that. Lot of body language we get from behind the plate.

[The Man in Blue]

I think that was a great call from behind the plate @UAME.  I saw the same thing in the video, a little flair at the ball before a late withdrawal.  I also agree with you that if you had let it be an HBP, no one would have squawked much.

Sometimes it sucks getting it right but being the only damn person in the place that knows you got it right.

[UAME]

19 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

I think that was a great call from behind the plate @UAME.  I saw the same thing in the video, a little flair at the ball before a late withdrawal.  I also agree with you that if you had let it be an HBP, no one would have squawked much.

Sometimes it sucks getting it right but being the only damn person in the place that knows you got it right.

I appreciate the support.  I'm wrapping up my 4th season of doing this - I'm beginning to learn that "being right" isn't always worth it!  You would think that 27 years of marriage would have taught me that already!!  😁

[The Man in Blue]

It isn’t worth it in the moment, but it is in the long run.

LHP attempts a pickoff while engaged. Ball is butchered by F3 and rolls under the bullpen fence.  I stop the runner at second while my partner is pointing him to third.

I ended up ejecting the coach (and almost dumping his replacement), had stern words in private with a partner, and had to listen to both teams and the fans try to undermine me the rest of the game. Even the TD walked the coach out agreeing with him.

Then the TD looked it up. He met me at the gate coming off.  He looked awestruck and kept saying, “You were right.”

I just replied, “I know.”

(I knew that thanks to the fine folks here!)

[834k3r]

2 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

It isn’t worth it in the moment, but it is in the long run.

LHP attempts a pickoff while engaged. Ball is butchered by F3 and rolls under the bullpen fence.  I stop the runner at second while my partner is pointing him to third.

I ended up ejecting the coach (and almost dumping his replacement), had stern words in private with a partner, and had to listen to both teams and the fans try to undermine me the rest of the game. Even the TD walked the coach out agreeing with him.

Then the TD looked it up. He met me at the gate coming off.  He looked awestruck and kept saying, “You were right.”

I just replied, “I know.”

(I knew that thanks to the fine folks here!)

So many people don't understand the difference between engaged and disengaged WRT throwing a ball OOP. I had to award 3B to R1 when my own son was pitching once. He was decidedly not happy--but I explained the award when we got home.