Call timeout from outfield

[Caught in Rundown]

Babe Ruth weekend tournament 8u. With a runner on first, ball hit to left center gap. Runner on first goes around third but stops on baseline, batter rounds first base, both runners feint but no try to advance. The centerfielder retrieves the ball, runs toward the infield, but never leaves the grass. Then he throws his hands up to call timeout and the umpire grants it. The batting team claims the outfielder cannot call timeout, that the ball must return to the pitcher before timeout is granted. Is this a common tournament rule or is this a baseball rule in general that outfielders cannot call timeout for any reason? Someone said the kid was playing smart by calling time so the runners would have to remain, someone else said action was still on. When is the umpire supposed to call timeout? I always thought he had full authority to call it it whenever. There was only one umpire. I noticed from reading through here that's uncommon in most places. It's pretty common here in California.

[JonnyCat]

Anybody can ask for time, players, coaches, managers. It is up to the umpire to grant the time request.

Umpires should only grant time when play is considered relaxed. Relaxed is typically when any play is over, the offense is not trying to advance, and the defense is not trying to put anyone out. Usually when having only one umpire, calling time lets him get back into position without the risk of missing something when his back is turned to the field.

In this case, seemed like the proper procedure, but I wasn't there. Did anything come of it? Arguments, or just play on?

23 hours ago, Caught in Rundown said:

The batting team claims the outfielder cannot call timeout, that the ball must return to the pitcher before timeout is granted.

And this is a byproduct of 8u tournaments. Coaches do not know the rules, or bother to learn them. However, there could be a tournament rule that says this. Knowing the rules, and any modifications is incumbent upon managers, coaches, and umpires. Another however, often at the lower levels, you won't get the most experienced umpires. And shame on the tournament for being too cheap to pay for 2 umpires.

[Jay R.]

My guess is this a confusion from Babe Ruth's Cal Ripken Division "Special Base Running Rule," which mirrors Little League (Majors and below). From the Babe Ruth/Ripken rulebook:

"Rule:  When a pitcher is in contact with the pitcher’s plate and in possession of the ball and the catcher is in the catcher’s box ready to receive delivery of the ball, base runners shall not leave their bases until the ball has been delivered and has reached home plate. Once the catcher has secured the ball and the runner has stopped his forward progress, the runner must immediately return to the base. NOTE:  The ball remains live [emphasis added] and should the catcher make an errant throw to the pitcher or make a play on the runner, the runner can then attempt to advance."

I would not be surprised if coaches and parents thought that time was called at the end of every play. They seemed to think so in the LL chapter I umpired in from 2013 to 2019.

LL teaches its umpires not to call timeout unnecessarily, to force kids to learn to make the throw to the pitcher while also checking runners. Presumably the emphasis in Babe Ruth is the same (I've never worked in their leagues, so don't know what the national organization or any chapter is teaching the umpires). However, there does not seem to be a Babe Ruth rule prohibiting outfielders from asking for time, or requiring that the ball be in the infield or held by an infielder (a fairly common standard for ending play in the coach-pitch youth leagues I've coached in). 

As @JonnyCat noted, if there's only one umpire, he may need to call time to reposition at the end of a play. 

[Caught in Rundown]

On 5/26/2026 at 7:54 AM, JonnyCat said:

And shame on the tournament for being too cheap to pay for 2 umpires.

I'm not sure if that is the issue out here. I think it is just difficult to find umpires, at least in our area of the state.

[JonnyCat]

2 hours ago, Caught in Rundown said:

I'm not sure if that is the issue out here. I think it is just difficult to find umpires, at least in our area of the state.

Understood, Its a problem in most areas.

However, if the pay was much better, and the abuse wasn't there, then we'd have lots more umpires. Sadly this is lost on most associations and organizations. JMO.