January 2015Woodstock Little League Umpires Association Volume 1, Issue 1
UMPIRES MONTHLY NEWS LETTER
New Umpire in Chief
(By: Bradley Nelson)
Hi! My name is Bradley Nelson and I am going to be your new Umpire in Chief for Woodstock Little League. If you wish to umpire for us this year you will need to contact me ASAP. I will need to know your first, middle, and last name, birthdate (month/day/year), your address, your phone number, and your e-mail. We have our own website which once we get rolling almost everything will be posted there. The website is bradley1107.wix.com/umpires. If we have an emergency I will either text or e-mail everyone depending how urgent it is. I also expect us as umpires to dress professionally for each game. Dressing professionally means you will wear your hat underneath your mask behind the plate properly and in the field when you are on the bases. Your polo shirt if you are with a partner you must match. There will also be NO shorts of any kind allowed. You may wear either kaki jean pants or blue jeans with NO holes in them. The gear may be worn outside the uniform this year. I am trying to get us umpire pants but they are expensive. At the first meeting this year there will also be an open book rules test that you will have to pass with an 80% or better in order not to be required to attend the second meeting, however, if this is your first year ever umpiring you will be required to attend regardless of your score. The first meeting will be at the Woodstock Public Library and the second meeting will be at Sullivan Field in Emricson Park. I hope you continue to read this newsletter in its entirety. Again the website address is bradley1107.wix.com/umpires. If you have any questions for me please email me at or call me at: (815) 219-6675.Good Luck this year!
HBP! OUT! WAIT, WHAT?
(By: Jeffrey Stern)
One of the more obscure baseball rules came to the fore Sept. 11 during a game between the visiting Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami’s best player and a strong candidate for the NL Most Valuable Player Award, was struck in the face by a pitch from Brewers’ starter Mike Fiers. The ball struck the right-handed Stanton below the ear flap of his helmet and almost flush in his mouth. It opened a wound that gushed blood- so much, in fact, that the grounds crew had to tidy up the batter’s box area before the game resumed. Trainers and the Brewers’ team doctor came to Stanton’s aid before he was taken from the field on a local hospital, where he had facial and dental surgery.
Almost lost in all the concern for the injured player was the fact that Stanton had been charged with a strike. Plate umpire Jeff Kellogg ruled that Stanton swung. That made the count 0-2.
In all three codes, a batter hit by a pitch is not awarded if the batter swings at it (NFHS 8-1-1d; NCAA 8-2d; pro 6.08b).
When play resumed, Reed Johnson came on as a pinch hitter. In a scenario only a fiction writer would seem to conjure, Fiers’ first pitch hit Johnson’s hand. Once again, however, the Marlins were denied a baserunner because firstbase umpire D.J. Reyburn ruled that Johnson attempted to hit the pitch. That was strike three and Johnson was declared out.
Tempers then flared for a number of reasons. Marlins’ Manager Mike Redmond and third baseman Casey McGehee argued so vociferously over the third strike that they were ejected. Fiers reacted to comments from the Marlins dugout by gesturing to his taunters, which resulted in the benches emptying. Cooler heads finally prevailed, however, and no one else was ejected.
“He hit a guy I the mouth, number one,” Redmond told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “After he hit Reed in the hand, he looks in our dugout, throws his hands up in the air like, ‘Hey, why are you guys mad?’ You just knocked out our best player, hit him in the mouth, and then you just hit another guy in the hand. What are we supposed to do? What type of reaction do you think we’re trying to give you?”
Kellogg warned both benches after Johnson was hit. So in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Miami reliever, Anthony DeSclafani hit the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez in the left elbow, Rob Leary, the Miami bench coach who took over for Redmond, and DeSclafani were ejected automatically.
Hit batter calls are one of the more challenging for umpires. The toughest is deciding if the ball hit the bat or the batter. The plate umpire may be blocked by the catcher, or because the pitch arrives so quickly, simply cannot see what was hit. The sound of a baseball hitting flesh and bone is distinctive, certainly different than a sound of a ball hitting a bat.
A plate umpire can base his ruling on the reaction of the batter. A player won’t think quickly enough to pretend he was hit unless he is a Robert DeNiro-level actor- such as the Arkansas player whose over the-top faking of being hit in a 2009 game led to his ejection (search “batter fakes being hit” on YouTube). Thus, give more credence to a player whose discomfort seems genuine.
When faced with a bat-or-the-batter situation, call time to give yourself a few seconds to contemplate the situation. Based on reactions of the batter, catcher, or even the pitcher, you might well have your mind made up for you.
Two notable instances of a batter convincing an umpire of a hit batsman occurred in World Series games more than a decade apart. In both instances, the batter was named Jones.
In game four of the 1957 fall classic, the Yankees led the Braves, 5-4, in the bottom of the 10th inning when Nippy Jones pinch-hit for Warren Spahn. A pitch in the dirt was ruled a ball by plate umpire Augie Donatelli, but he reserved himself and awarded Jones first base when he was shown shoe polish on the ball. Three batters later, Eddie Matthews hit a home run to give Milwaukee a 7-5 victory. The Braves went on to win the series, four games to three.
History repeated itself in the fifth game of the 1969 World Series. Baltimore trailed the series, three games to one, but lead the New York Mets, 3-0, in the sixth inning. Cleon Jones claimed he was clipped by a pitch, but Jones wasn’t awarded first base until Mets’ Manager Gil Hodges showed the ball to umpire Lou DiMuro. Seeing polish on the ball, DiMuro sent Jones to first.
Don Clendenon followed with a home run to cut the deficit to one. The Mets eventually rallied for a 5-3 win and their first World Series title.
Considering the apparel worn by today’s players, it’s doubtful that shoe polish could serve as evidence in a modern game. More likely is the batter who will roll up his sleeve or take off his batting glove to show you the welt caused by being struck.
Here’s hoping you never encounter a situation similar to the one involving Stanton. Not only from a rules and judgment standpoint, but considering the horrifying results of a baseball striking a human face. The results, in either case, are not pretty.
(Jeffery Stern, Referee senior editor, is a veteran high school umpire. This article came from Referee Magazine December 2014)
One From the Mound Holds True…Unless
(By: Jeffery Stern)
When a ball goes out of play and bases are not awarded, the saying, “One from the mound, two from the field,” is almost always correct.
When a wild pitch goes into dead ball territory, the award for all runners is one base from the time of the pitch. If the pitch was ball four (or even an uncaught third strike), the batter-runner only gets first base.
However, when a pitch ends and the ball then finds its way into the dugout, the award is different. Aggressive catchers sometimes slide toward or at a ball as they chase down an errant pitch. If they kick or otherwise deflect the pitch into dead ball territory, the award may be different, depending on the rules code.
In NFHS (National Federation of High School), if the umpire judges that the pitch would have gone into dead-ball territory without a deflection, the award remains one base from the time of the pitch. However, if the deflection caused the ball to become dead, runners receive two bases, measured from the time of the deflection. Intent is not a factor (8.3.3K)
In NCAA, a deflected pitch that enters dead-ball territory is automatically a two base award. If the pitch is still rolling, the award is from the time of the pitch. If the pitch has stopped rolling, or the it is clear the ball will not roll into dead ball territory, and a new impetus is applied to the ball by a defensive player, the awards are two bases from the time of the deflection (8-3o-4, 8-3o-4 AR 1).
The pro rule requires an award of one base from the time of the pitch, regardless if the deflection was intentional or the ball would have gone into dead-ball territory on its own (7.05h AR).
(Jeffery Stern, Referee senior editor, is a veteran high school umpire. This article came from Referee Magazine December 2014)
Checked Swing on Steal
(By: Jeffery Stern)
Imagine this scenario: R1 is on first with no outs and a 3-1 count on B1. R1 breaks for second and B1 checks his swing on the pitch. The plate umpire calls the pitch ball four, but F2 fires to F6, who tags out R1. How should the base umpire react?
As odd as it may seem, the right call is no call. When the play is over, tell the players, “OK, that’s ball four”. Refrain from making any other statement at that time. If the defense appeals the checked swing and the plate umpire asks for help, give your honest answer. If it’s, “No, he didn’t go,” you’ve got it made. Be sure to complement your call with a safe signal. The original ball four call prevails, R1’s out is negated and play continues with R1 on second and B1 on first.
If you had a swing, you’ve got some “selling” to do so here goes: Step up assertively and call, “Yes, he went!” while signaling a strike. Then very emphatically point at R1 on second and say, “You got tagged! You’re out!” By now your partner should be directing B1 on first back to the plate. Now confidently bounce (hustle but don’t run full speed) to position “A” behind first. Your partner will announce, “OK, we’ve got a 3-2 count at the plate.”
The same procedure is applicable to NFHS, NCAA, and pro games.
(Jeffery Stern, Referee senior editor, is a veteran high school umpire. This article came from Referee Magazine December 2014)
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