Thread: Opposing teams 3rd base coach calling our pitch locations.

Last weekend, our team faced an opponent who had a third base coach that would call our pitch locations out to their batters. Our catchers would call the pitch, then setup to receive the pitch. Once the catcher would set up the third base coach would yell the pitch location to the batter. It was all that I could do to calm one of our assistant coaches down, an ex college baseball pitcher. He wanted to send a message to the 3rd base coach in the form of a fastball into the ribs of the batter. I know the feeling of the board about throwing at batters. He said there has to be some way of self policing the jerk coaches out there and plunking a batter is how they did it in baseball. I am sure there will be responses to not have the catcher move, and to try some deception (set up outside, then throw inside), but that is not the point. I have heard the message on this forum several times about "let the girls play". I am not upset at the 13 yo runner on second signaling inside or outside, but I have a real problem with the 45 yo beer belly coaching third calling out the pitch locations.

I dont think the batter should pay for it at that age or any age for that matter,in baseball ,those guys are just stupid!If the pitcher in baseball is so tough,then dont throw the ball at the batter. Call time and go punch the guy in the face,be a man!!

You can't have your pitcher throw at the batter. But you can ask your 1B to fire a ball to your 3B after an out and have your 3B "miss it". Then have your pitcher ask him whether it was inside or outside?

I'm sorry but if your catcher is setting up early and your just noticing other coaches giving away pitch locations now you probably missed the 90% of the time it happens and the opposing coach just isn't so obvious about it. Ever heard "go with it" or "turn on it" that's the first level of deception, then the trickier coaches are calling out players last names or first names to indicate inside or outside, others will have players in the dugouts assigned to do the same thing. I'm just glad to be at a level where #1 catchers do not generally give away pitch location pre-pitch and #2 catchers who see you trying to do this (even with say a baserunner on 2nd base) are smart enough to use it to their advantage (i.e. baiting you to call out inside thn delivering outside).

If you were to call out pitches verbally from the dugout and the other team used it to their advantage you would have no one to blame but yourself. A catcher that sets up early, being sloppy sending in signs, etc... aren't any different and if you progress you either need to get better at communicating to your team without the other team knowing or execute so well that knowing what is coming doesn't help.

Well my question to you is did you go up and talk to the coach about it? Our assistant coach made the same mistake a few weeks ago at a tourny he is the 1st base coach and caught a glimpse of the other teams coach signals and yelled the to our batter inside inside. Well the other ocaches starts out loud complaning but then just turns to out head coach they have a quick chat and the game goes on as normal with no one mad and no coaches makeing calls like that anymore.

Besides talking to the other coach I would have to agree with the other post talking about working on your catcher not tipping off the position of the ball so fast.

Sounds like if you did have the catcher set up the opposite side and move mid-throw you would have struck out the side each inning with him yelling.

-W

You know......I will be the first to admit that I did this one time. Catcher set up so early on a high outside pitch and I don't know why but my dumb self opened my mouth and said "high outside" Terked the other coach off pretty good, words were exchanged. I told him to teach his catcher how to set up properly. Jawing went back and forth for 2-3 innings. In the end I realized I was wrong. I went up to the coach and apologized to him and his pitcher and catcher. Bothered me so much I emailed the coach the next day apologizing again. Let the girls play, if the girls give locations fine, coaches should not. I learned a very valuable lesson on sportsmanship that weekend. I beat myself up over it for days. And I only did it one time in that game.....

But like stated in another post......Oregon did it against Texas and who moved on????? Right for him to do so IDK. He moved on to the next game. Texas did not. Bush yes, did it work for him yes. Overall that game was a dirty game on both sides. Normally the girls take care of the issues themselves on the field.

Me I will never ever ever do that again. I felt like an idiot afterward......Anyone else man enough to admit doing the same thing. And I don't even have a beer belly and I am not 45 and I played college ball. I know how it is taken care of in baseball. The words just came out of my mouth with no prior thought process. Stupid mistake on my part.

I know you are all correct about the catcher setting up better and this is something we need to work on. DD practices throwing to the catcher's glove, or other spots when the catcher stays neutral. When this happens to her, we just have the catcher setup in a neutral position. In this situation, we had our #2 less experienced pitcher and it got into her head. She could hear the jerk calling the locations as she was pitching. I am not even sure his shouting out the locations helped his batter as much as it did frustrate and get to our pitcher.