Asking for a different ball

[Comp]

I do everything I can to not introduce a new ball into the game but things do happen and balls dissappear or get wet or, or, or. Sometimes there is no option but to get a new ball. I seriously doubt it would ever happend at a national event. There are plenty of balls supplied and would be very unlikely to happen. It does tend to happend at high school games, especially ones where the field is up against houses or next to roads. More than a few foul balls into yards and ball supply becomes a problem.

 

[Sliced Bread]

I know what my pitcher would do if the ump refused to change balls, the next pitch would be launched over the back stop. By that time the used ball should have been recovered from out of play, and re entered. She's done it more than once.

 

[Umpire]

And if a new ball is all that is available what would you have the umpire do? And what difference should the 7th inning make? Rules dont cease to exist just because its late in the game. If a pitcher can throw a new ball in the 1st inning, why cant they throw it in the 7th?

Because they get to take 5 warm-ups with the ball when this happens in the first inning as opposed to the middle of an inning. Forget about that rule?

 

[Umpire]

I know what my pitcher would do if the ump refused to change balls, the next pitch would be launched over the back stop. By that time the used ball should have been recovered from out of play, and re entered. She's done it more than once.

A slow pitch player did that in a game I saw. The umpire made him get the ball. Once he returned the ball, the umpire said, "No you're gone." All things being equal, if it was reasonable to ask, I would just exchange the ball.

 

[Umpire]

I do everything I can to not introduce a new ball into the game but things do happen and balls dissappear or get wet or, or, or. Sometimes there is no option but to get a new ball. I seriously doubt it would ever happend at a national event. There are plenty of balls supplied and would be very unlikely to happen. It does tend to happend at high school games, especially ones where the field is up against houses or next to roads. More than a few foul balls into yards and ball supply becomes a problem.

Wear two ball bags. Get them loaded with decently rubbed balls. If you're down to one ball in play and one in the bag, let the team know that you need more. If you see them ripping a brand new ball out of the wrapper, tell them to rub it up. By the way, there is nothing illegal about a coach rubbing up a ball at an umpire's request, so you can leave that argument asleep.

Umpires need to learn proper game management and realistic officiating and ball rotation are part of that.

 

[MTR]

Ball rotation as written in the ASA rule book is an absolute joke. The only purposes of the rule is to make sure that a brand new ball doesn't get put into play late in the game, prevent a player from doing something intentionally to get a different ball, etc. The primary purpose of the rule was violated here anyway. If the pitcher wants a new ball, let her throw it in, give the catcher a different one, rub up the old one a bit and put it back in your ball bag.

That is not correct. The purpose of a ball rotation is to keep the playing field level so there is no advantage in pitching or hitting a particular ball. Though many coaches will not openly admit it, quite a few will play games with the balls if they believe it is to their team's advantage. In a 12U NQ some years back, a pitcher of a team up by a few runs started complaining about the balls in the 5th inning and kept returning them to the catcher for a different one. After my partner, being the nice guy that he was, went through his supply (4 balls), her coach came out with relatively new balls and told the PU the game balls were crappy and offered to supply the game with his. What a shock it was to see all these balls had excessively raised seams. We told him, no thanks and that we were finishing the game with the balls we had at the start.

The umpire has no control over what balls are provided for a game or as substitutes. "Rubbing down" a ball should not be a routine, mid-game activity, but if necessary, every ball should be "matured" before entering a game, whether it is out of the wrapper or just slightly used. Though it is fine for a coach or team member to do it, I prefer to do it myself including pregame. I'm not of the ilk that takes the ball out of the wrapper and hands one to each pitcher assuming their pre-game warm-ups will do the job. The pitcher can request a different ball at the beginning of each half inning or if the ball is marred or damaged. If the ball is marred or damaged, it should be removed from the game.

BTW, the most often observed reason (by me, anyway) a new ball enters the games in the late innings, especially in a situation where the tournament supplies the ball, is that when there is no financial incentive the less likely a team is worried about retrieving a ball which went out of play. And I've seen some teams would retrieve those ball and actually hoard them unless challenged to give the up by the umpire.

 

[PEPPERS]

The Worth Dream Seams have a raised seam and IMO can give a pitcher a bit of an advantage.

DD likes to take a rosin bag to the mound for just such occasions, when a ball is wet or a new ball is entered into the game, the Gorilla Gold works well also. Some umps we see change balls with no problems while others follow the rules as described by Comp and others in this thread.

 

[coach james]

DD pitches, and hates brand new balls out of the wrapper. If she starts and we're home team, its pretty common to see her rubbing field dirt all over the ball to eliminate the tacky feel. She preferes a used ball that's more of a slick feel. Oddly enough, she refuses rosin???? I don't know? I guess its a teenage girl thing and I shouldn't try to understand! LOL

 

[Comp]

DD pitches, and hates brand new balls out of the wrapper. If she starts and we're home team, its pretty common to see her rubbing field dirt all over the ball to eliminate the tacky feel. She preferes a used ball that's more of a slick feel. Oddly enough, she refuses rosin???? I don't know? I guess its a teenage girl thing and I shouldn't try to understand! LOL

Then she hasn't run into an umpire paying attention. It is illegal for her to apply dirt to the ball.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Then she hasn't run into an umpire paying attention. It is illegal for her to apply dirt to the ball.

That's what I thought. If she grabs some dirt, doesn't she have to wipe her hand off before she grips the ball?