What rules if any govern excessive hit by pitches?

marriard · Oct 21, 2020

soonerfan1966 said:
Sorta different topic but I have seen an umpire(player kept throwing the bat, hitting the umpire on every swing), slide the catcher over into the opposite batters box and called the player out on strikes. Could the umpire/coach slide the batter to the far side of the box and just call balls till the coach changed pitchers?

No none of this is allowed. Totally inappropruate on every conceivable count. No - No - No....

While a thrown bat is not against the rules, there are ways to handle it if it becomes a danger to other players or personnel (inlcuding umpires, coahces, etc) involved in the game. You don't make stuff up - you handle as you SHOULD have been taught or read about. I get hit by a bat more than once, it is going to be handled as the rules and case books specifically allow me to.

No I can't fake call balls or move cathers or make stuff up. You can handle it all through proper game management.,

-- Not saying the above didn't happen, just that it is terrible, terrible umpring and 100% inappropriate.

bmakj · Oct 21, 2020

I once pulled my coach pitch team off the field. we were playing neighboring org that used machines with dimple balls. I still insisted on pitching to my girls top of 1st. bottom of first, first batter, breaks my first basemans nose and glasses (and she was a good player, probably top 2 or 3 on team) because the dimple ball comes off bats and bounces hotter than normal balls. finished bottome two, pleaded with coach to pitch to his team, batted top of the second, and refused to put team on field unless they pitched. game over.

Rambler34 · Oct 22, 2020

I watch a ton of youth softball and the only ones I have seen take it the face is middle infielders on bad hops and an outfielder who lost the ball in the son. The outfielder is the only one that needed medical attention. A few stitches and she was ready to go. My DD will always wear her mask when she is in the circle. Even if it is not common we don't want that one random hit to hurt her.
[/QUOTE]

Same here but we may be coming from different perspectives. We are 18U now and I cannot remember any issues for a MIF since 12U. Personally I can't stand to see a pitcher without one. The only time I cringe about MIF's is when team creeps a 2B up on a lefty thinking she is a slapper. Our leadoff and then my DD in the 2 hole swing away 95% of the time. We had a team creep them up even with the pitcher Sunday and even though they had a mask I worry about them getting smoked. Worse part is both doubled in their first AB's and they did the same thing the next time they came up.

CoachJD · Oct 23, 2020

MattM said:
Maybe against the rules but I think the umpire did the right thing. Sometimes you just have to use common sense. Also could use the argument that it is intentional since the opposing coach knows that she cannot control the ball and she will continue to hit half the batters. What if MLB put in a pitcher that performed like that. Benches would be cleared and there would be retaliation.

And yet, it wasn't MLB, where pitchers are expected to have a level of control that would make a series of HBP unusual at the very least.

lancer360 · Oct 24, 2020

We played that team again. They pulled their fast pitcher after one HBP. Their next pitcher proceeded to hit 4 more batters and a bunch of walks without recording a single strike out.

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quincy · Oct 24, 2020

Talking about face masks, the 8U and 10U outfielders worried me more then anyone in the infield. Mostly they played them at the start of grass and grounders to them had a fair chance of hitting the lip, they had no chance no matter how good a fielder they were. Saw a few players get some good shots, head shots were the worst.

'LL all-star BB opposing P was kind enough to get 2 consecutive batters an ambulance ride. Hit the next batter and thank goodness they took him out. Didn't have to, I do not know about now but there was not HBP rule then. Pitcher was going to seriously hurt someone.

CHSUmp97 · Oct 28, 2020

whiporee said:
You think it’s okay for a pitcher with no control to continually hit other players with the ball? 50 mph from 43 feet away? What other recourse would an ump have than stop the game? And should a coach, seeing the opposing pitcher keep hitting his players, keep sending them out?

I’ve had to deal with this issue a few times back in my LL umpiring days. What I did was go over to the pitcher’s coach and tell him/her, “Coach, I’m going to judge the next time your pitcher hits a batter that he/she did so intentionally, so I will eject him/her.”

I never had to eject a pitcher.

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RIZZARIJOE · Oct 28, 2020

lancer360 said:
Had an interesting game at a 12u mixed C-league tournament this weekend. Opposing pitcher was throwing 50mph (clocked on a pocket radar) but had control issues. She drilled 5 of the first 9 batters. After 4, the ump called the opposing coach aside and asked him to have his pitcher back off and try to improve her control. She then threw a couple of hard strikes followed by another fast hit by pitch. Ump told the coach she was done pitching. Opposing parents where being pretty nasty to the ump and to our head coach. They were yelling at the ump that he couldn't force them to pull the pitcher (she was there only pitcher). Opposing coach relented and put another girl in to finish the inning. She had at least knew the general mechanics of pitching, but was all over the place and hit another batter (at a slower speed luckily). Our girls were afraid to even go to the plate. On a side note to the general mentality of the team/coaches, the left fielder was the only one wearing a fielding mask. Are there any general safety rules that allow an ump to force a pitching change?

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Unless there is some league rule, it is wholly inappropriate for the umpire to comment on the pitcher or control. Even when I have to call an illegal pitch, I never tell the girl or coach what they did wrong unless I'm asked by somebody on the team. I learned through experience, as a coach screamed at me not to talked to his pitcher. He was a jerk, but he was correct - don't try and be too helpful and give unsolicited comments or tell them what they did illegally unless asked.

Greatdaytobeawildcat · Oct 28, 2020

RIZZARIJOE said:
Unless there is some league rule, it is wholly inappropriate for the umpire to comment on the pitcher or control. Even when I have to call an illegal pitch, I never tell the girl or coach what they did wrong unless I'm asked by somebody on the team. I learned through experience, as a coach screamed at me not to talked to his pitcher. He was a jerk, but he was correct - don't try and be too helpful and give unsolicited comments or tell them what they did illegally unless asked.

Have you ever called an illegal pitch and NOT been asked why?

julray · Oct 28, 2020

TBH, can't believe the coach didn't take her out earlier with those kind of control issues. And playing a game with only one pitcher is kind of sloppy coaching as well. You need to be more prepared than that.. A, B or C

What rules if any govern excessive hit by pitches?

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