Ask MrUmp1 your rules question.

[westend1]

It seems so easy to call strikes.  i have been behind the plate and I can tell you. it's not as easy as you think.  When you have a large catcher, it's hard to get a good angle on the entire plate.  I think umps that set-up inside have a hard time seeing the exact outside edge of the plate.  It would be a lot easier if the catchers would stop moving around blocking the view.

i think everyone should try it back there.  You will complain much less the next time you are in the bleachers.

[elhector1]

Pants... you need some water on your fire pants.. lol  I do not know what has your panties tied in a knot about the strike zone, but I can tell you have never tried to Umpire [glow=red,2,300]anything maybe other than a little league game[/glow]. Rhino understands what I am talking about when I talk about the strike zone. Hector has seen me call enough high school games to know I have a pretty good idea of what the strike zone is. Just watch a MLB game on TV and even those guys do not all call exactly the same zone. This is what makes baseball the great game it is. I have never called a perfect game and never will, but I love to umpire and be around some really great kids playing at the High School level in Southeast Texas.

Not even that, Blue...uhhhh, MrUmp1.  I HAVE called Little League games, and if you want to see people that actually foam at the mouth...   Again, There are times when a coach has the right and the responsibility to his team to question a call, or to ask for a different perspective from another umpire.  A coach also has the right and responsibility to question a strike zone IF IT IS CALLED INCONSISTENTLY.  That is the coach.  As fans, we can talk all we want about strike zones, but to tell you the truth, unless you are squatting right there, behind that catcher, there is no way we will ever know from 20 feet away whether it was there or not.  Should blue ask the batter not to squat down in the batter's box?  Should blue ask a batter to move back in the batter's box?  Should blue ask the catcher to remain rooted in place?  NO!  All that is part of the game and strategy.  Strike zones are a matter of judgment and perspective, and as long as that remains consistent, then GAME ON!

[MrUmp1]

It seems so easy to call strikes.  i have been behind the plate and I can tell you. it's not as easy as you think.  When you have a large catcher, it's hard to get a good angle on the entire plate.  I think umps that set-up inside have a hard time seeing the exact outside edge of the plate.  It would be a lot easier if the catchers would stop moving around blocking the view.

i think everyone should try it back there.  You will complain much less the next time you are in the bleachers.

Actually working the inside of the plate in what we call the slot, gives you a great view of the outside pitch. I know you say how ?? If you position your chin near the top of the catchers head and are just on the inside edge of the catchers shoulder you can see the ball go straight into the catchers mitt. So now you say but how do you know it is on the edge. If you notice how your catcher has set up, most of the time his right knee is very close to the edge of the plate. Catch it right there it is a strike. If the catcher has moved out off the edge, then he will have to catch it inside that outside knee. If they move to far out then it is a waste pitch, looks like a strike to people on the side because he nevers moves his glove, but he is a foot outside. Now you may understand why it may take a few years of umpiring to get a good consistent zone. Some guys are just naturals and are very good from the start and then some of us, me included, took a few years to really learn how to call strikes and balls.

I would like to say that in just over a  month, we have had over 2500 views of this thread. So far it has been very informative and some really great questions. Thanks

[rhino1877]

Some umpires are different than others. Some Umps like it low and other like it high, and some love the outside corner. Throw where they are going to call it. PERIOD! If a coach wants to stay ina ball game; don't ask an umpire to explain the zone!

This is exactly what I am talking about ! Mr. Ump and Rhino seem to think the strike zone is up for interpretation ! What a coach really wants is THE STRIKE ZONE consistently called.

If an umpire can "like it low , or high , or the outside corner" , then can he makes his own definition of what is safe and out ?

Consistancy is the KEY! No matter where the ball is pitched.....

If it looks like a strike, everyone thinks it is a strike....Then it must be a strike!

[Guest Penny]

I think you can be consistent and bad at the same time.  If you strike zone... like you like to call it... is unhittable... then you are a bad umpire.  Most do a great job, but if your strike zone contains spots that a hitter can barely reach, you're not doing a good job.  At the High School level, the ability to pitch inside develops, if you're giving way too much on the outside corner, it's over for the hitter.

[Livesoftball]

If the ump is brand new and its his very first day, is it really a good idea for him to be behind the plate on a championship game?  I do not mean to offend any umps, I havent a clue on how extensive training is.

[MrUmp1]

I think you left out a lot of factors out of your question.

#1 How do you know it was his first game?

#2 What level of ball are you talking about

#3 baseball, softball,????

And remember this thread is about rules, not what ump showed up to call a 8yr old pony director tournament. ( just a guess )

[hdbasketballstar]

Here you go MrUmp1. I dont have my rulebook with me so I have a question.

 

  Bases are loaded, with lets just say one out.

  The offensive coach calls out a play to his runners and batter.

  The batter scoots all the way up to the front of the box and crowds the plate.

  As soon as the pitcher commits home the runners take off.

  The batter just stands there, doesn't move at all.

  The runner from 3rd slides into home, just missing the batter, and the catcher can't make a play because the batter is in the way?

  What is the call?

[MrUmp1]

If there is going to be a play at the plate then the batter should vacate the area if he has time. If the home plate umpire feels like the batter interfered with the play then he can call the runner out and call the pitch however he may have seen it. I will say if I was a coach, I would not call a play like that because it has the potential for someone to get hurt. In your senario if the batter was in the very front of the box and didn't move, then the runner comming down third would have to go through the batter to get to the plate. The foul line runs from the back point of the plate outward through the batters box.

[hdbasketballstar]

Right, the runner actually slid between the batters legs.

[Mr. Diamond]

I saw this play about 12 years ago between two high school teams .Pitcher in windup. Runner from third is stealing home. 

The catcher is alerted to the approaching runner and steps foward to meet him at the plate. Batter swings and nails the catcher in the back. He was lucky, wasn't seriously hurt.

[MrUmp1]

Catcher interference.  I hate when I hear of a kid stealing home and the batter swings. Al I can see is the ball hitting the runner right in the forehead. These are high schools kids and they missed signs.

[rhino1877]

I have a good one for you:

Runner on 1st, ball hit towards the 2nd baseman; Runner takes off and is moving down the linebut slows just enough to distract the 2nd basemen attempting. The second baseman, does have to alter his path to the ball, because of the baserunner. What is the call. No contact was made.

[MrUmp1]

A runner must run in his normal motion and not do anything out of the ordinary to distract the fielder. What can make this call hard at times is.. did the runner slow up because he was avoiding being hit by a batted ball or was he trying to alter the play? I know if the fielder is in the baseline fielding a ball the runner must avoid contact and will not be penalized for altering his path to avoid contact. So once again, it's about the judgement of the umpire. Get your swing ready cause I got new irons and so far I am hitting them well !!!!  Me and you Rhino, for the pink jacket lol

[rhino1877]

Got a small tournament coming up, you in?

[MrUmp1]

Tell me when.. playing the palms friday morning in a little scramble. As soon as i get the umping out of the way it will be links time.

[sportsfan82]

What is your opinion on a Ump, in a championship game, that is the 3rd base Ump, that is standing there talking to 3 players of one team, and then their coach while the other team is on the field getting ready for the next inning?

IMO it really doesn't look good, I can see the Ump talking to a coach or a player concerning a play or issue but to just stand there the whole time and talk to 3 players and then the coach the whole time the other team is warming up, and then makes a judgement call (of course in the favor of the team he is talking to) does look like he is favoring 1 team over the other.

[MrUmp1]

Was this a High School game ???? What kind of "championship" game ?????  Here is the deal.... If it wasn't a high school game and just a summer league game, then be glad you had a umpire there to call your game. There are not near enough umps to go around for summer league. Maybe this wasn't the best thing to do, but if it was a summer league game then everybody is just trying to enjoy themselves and enjoy a baseball game. Don't take it so seriously.

[elhector1]

What is your opinion on a Ump, in a championship game, that is the 3rd base Ump, that is standing there talking to 3 players of one team, and then their coach while the other team is on the field getting ready for the next inning?

IMO it really doesn't look good, I can see the Ump talking to a coach or a player concerning a play or issue but to just stand there the whole time and talk to 3 players and then the coach the whole time the other team is warming up, and then makes a judgement call (of course in the favor of the team he is talking to) does look like he is favoring 1 team over the other.

If it was summer league, then MrUmp1 is right.  If it was 12U stuff...OMG, I can imagine you when the kids are in high school.  If it was a post season high school playoff game or games, then I can tell you that there are no "homer" umps.  A case in point was the LCM/Huffman Hargraves series, games 2 and 3.  The umpires for these games were from the Austin, TX chapter of TASO, and I can tell you reliably that the money they got paid was barely enogh to cover their gas, what with gas prices the way they are today.  I have seen umpires have conversations in the dugout of teams, this to get out of the hot sun.  So they talked?  And 1 CALL was all that bugged you?  You do have a low tolerance for pain, don't you? 

[sportsfan82]

Was this a High School game ???? What kind of "championship" game ?????   Here is the deal.... If it wasn't a high school game and just a summer league game, then be glad you had a umpire there to call your game. There are not near enough umps to go around for summer league. Maybe this wasn't the best thing to do, but if it was a summer league game then everybody is just trying to enjoy themselves and enjoy a baseball game. Don't take it so seriously.

I agree with you that it wasn't the best thing to do.  It was a high school playoff game, and I also agree that if it was a summer league or little league everybody does enjoy themselves and the game.  I didn't take it serious at the game but some parents did, I just wanted to get your opinion.  So Thanks

[crabtrri]

Rules Question: I witnessed a playoff game recently where one of the batters was litterally standing over the plate. His feet were even with the inside of the plate and his head and elbow were centered over the plate. There was no inner line on the batters box. The ball struck the batter in the head and he was awarded first base. I have seen this happen once before where a batter was close to the plate (not as close as this guy) and the batter leaned over the plate and was hit in the head. The umpire in that game actually called it a strike. Whats the rule?

[MrUmp1]

The rules state that a batter must make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitched ball that may hit him. Even if there was an inside batters box line, if a batter gets right up on it he is actually very close to the plate and could be leaning over. A batter may not lean into a pitch to get hit and if that pitch would have been a strike if it had not hit the batter then it is called a strike and the batter is not awarded first base. Now if a batter is in the middle of the box and a ball is thrown and hits him I am awarding him first base. You can tell if a batter is trying to get hit or not. If the pitcher can not get it close to the plate and if the batter wants to "take one for the team", I have no problem awarding first base. The batter may not do anything to intentionally get hit.

[elhector1]

The rules state that a batter must make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitched ball that may hit him. Even if there was an inside batters box line, if a batter gets right up on it he is actually very close to the plate and could be leaning over. A batter may not lean into a pitch to get hit and if that pitch would have been a strike if it had not hit the batter then it is called a strike and the batter is not awarded first base. Now if a batter is in the middle of the box and a ball is thrown and hits him I am awarding him first base. You can tell if a batter is trying to get hit or not. If the pitcher can not get it close to the plate and if the batter wants to "take one for the team", I have no problem awarding first base. The batter may not do anything to intentionally get hit.

additionally, he may have been "within the lines" of the plate, but if the ball struck him in the head, then it was more than likely outside the strike zone (high), while still being inside the plate lines.  If he was trying to squat to make himself low, and the ball strikes him in the head, then it is still a ball, and base awarded, as simple physics would take the head outside the strike zone in a"squat" type of position.

[MrUmp1]

Hector.. maybe i'm not getting you here but I don't care where it hits the batter if he is leaning out over the plate and does not make an attempt to move I am not giving him his base.

[AstrosDawg07]

Tonight I was calling a little league game, the pitcher started to pitch the ball but never finished through.  He was pitching from the stretch and I called a balk and awarded the batter a ball.  The coach protested the call saying you cannot call a balk with no runners on...Am I wrong here, the coach protested the game and we are awaiting a ruling from the league.