- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
I had the pleasure to umpire a 12u rec game recently. About midway through the timed game, one of the pitchers dropped the ball during her delivery and the ball landed behind her. As I signaled "ball" to the batter, the runner from 3B raced for home. The pitcher retrieved the ball, threw home, and the runner was tagged out. I was right on top of the play, and the runner's foot never reached the plate, nor had the catcher committed obstruction. This was the 3rd out of the inning.
The 3B coach was very upset by the call. For starters, he thought the runner had reached home safely. But he was most adamant in his assertion that it should have been a dead ball, and that it was "illegal" for the pitcher to be the first player to touch the ball after a pitch.
I'd never heard that rule before, but I'm always willing to learn, so I asked him whether that was a USA Softball rule. His response was to drop the "Well, I played baseball for 30 years!" card, adding "well, those coaches over there say you're wrong". I informed him that the ball was live as soon as the pitcher began her delivery and that the runners were permitted to proceed at their own risk, which is exactly what happened.
I encouraged the coach to become a bit more familiar with the rulebook and cited the actual rule for the managers of each team, so they'd never have that issue again.
The 3B coach was very upset by the call. For starters, he thought the runner had reached home safely. But he was most adamant in his assertion that it should have been a dead ball, and that it was "illegal" for the pitcher to be the first player to touch the ball after a pitch.
I'd never heard that rule before, but I'm always willing to learn, so I asked him whether that was a USA Softball rule. His response was to drop the "Well, I played baseball for 30 years!" card, adding "well, those coaches over there say you're wrong". I informed him that the ball was live as soon as the pitcher began her delivery and that the runners were permitted to proceed at their own risk, which is exactly what happened.
I encouraged the coach to become a bit more familiar with the rulebook and cited the actual rule for the managers of each team, so they'd never have that issue again.