Appeal play?

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May 29, 2015
3,731
113
Always NO BALL, NO CALL. The catcher may have received the ball, but if she made no attempt on the runner (tag attempt, touch the base on a force, etc.) it is still NO BALL ... thus no call.

If the catcher made a tag, you would call the runner out.

Now, same play, catcher attempts a tag but the runner evades it ... you are signaling “safe” ... until there is a reason not to, such as a subsequent actual tag or an appeal. At that point I am giving a very clear finger point at what happened to emphasize that something has changed, followed by a loud “OUT!”

@dno_2 ... that sucks, but no way to fix it.
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
93
If there was no play made on her then there is nothing to signal. I have always been taught, no ball, no call. But, if there was a play attempt on her, such as a missed tag and she also did t touch the plate, the mechanic is to delay slightly and then give a safe signal. By rule she is assumed to have touched the plate once past it but you still have to rule on the missed tag.

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I know you're correct and you certainly know the mechanic. I'm just curious, would either team would be able to tell from the proper mechanic that the runner had not touched the plate? Years ago, when I called some baseball the proper mechanic was to make no call at all as the runner had not yet reached the base safely or been tagged out. I always thought this gave both teams the clear sign that the play wasn't over. I'm not arguing that this is the correct mechanic for softball, I'm just curious if there is a way for me (as a coach) to be able see from the proper softball mechanic that the runner did not touch the plate.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
@mmeece you make a good point that I thought of and then forgot to mention ... the umpire’s mechanic may be different in different codes. I have seen the “no call till safe or out” in baseball. (Personally, I don’t like it.)
 
Aug 1, 2019
195
43
South Carolina
We had a similar situation happen a few months back. Our runner rounded 1B and never touched the bag. She made it to 3B and no attempt was made to tag her out. The field umpire called her out for not touching 1B.

The HC came unglued and informed the umpire that the play has to be appealed before they can issue the out. The opposing team had no clue she missed the base initially, however, after the yelling across the field and the umpires having the on field pow wow, the HC appealed and that was the final out of the game. Lost by 1 run.
The coach should have immediately protested. The fact that the base umpire made a ruling that required an appeal by the defense put the runner in jeopardy. No way should a subsequent appeal by the defense be allowed.
 
Oct 3, 2019
27
3
The coach should have immediately protested. The fact that the base umpire made a ruling that required an appeal by the defense put the runner in jeopardy. No way should a subsequent appeal by the defense be allowed.
That's good to know. This was his first year as a HC so I'm not sure how savvy he was with all of the rules and his options to appeal them. There was a meeting between the two coaches and two umpires resulting in the runner being called out, ending the game.
After the post game pep talk, the field umpire that made the initial call came up to the HC and apologized for making the incorrect call and acknowledged that she was in the wrong.
I'm not sure how I feel about that either. It was a sincere apology and I was glad that everyone could learn from it, but I almost wish umpires would make a call and stand by it until the very end. Whether it be right or wrong, the game ended and an apology can't change that. Maybe I'm still bitter, who knows?
 
Aug 1, 2019
195
43
South Carolina
After the post game pep talk, the field umpire that made the initial call came up to the HC and apologized for making the incorrect call and acknowledged that she was in the wrong.
Yeah, that's admirable, but bad form. Umpires should never seek out a coach with an apology after a call that goes against them, especially right after the game. We all make mistakes and we should learn from them and move on. Nothing good comes from seeking out the coach and telling him/her, "Sorry, I screwed up." Some coaches may not appreciate the gesture.
 

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