As manager, what would you have done?

[SoCalSoftballdad]

10U rec playoff game, if we lose, season over. My team is up by a couple of runs and there is a runner on 3B. Opposing batter gets drilled with a fastball to the leg. Blue rules she didn't attempt to get out of the way of the pitch and only awards a ball (instead of hit by pitch and first base). Batter is not badly hurt but cannot step up to the batters box to face the 2-1 count. Blue says that if she cannot continue, it is an out. Opposing team pleads with ME to allow her to be awarded 1B with a substitued runner to take her place, presumedly.

The game is too close for me to freely give their team a base runner. Parents in the stands are not happy, all they know is a girl gets hit by a pitch and cannot continue and is not awarded 1B. I work out a compromise that a substitute batter can inherit the pitch count and we continue the game. Batter strikes out, end of inning. As a side note, a few minutes later the hit batter was ok and able to play in the bottom half of the inning.

Did I do the right thing? In my mind, Blue made a judgement call, was I under any obligation to give this batter 1B?

 

[EP Dad]

Sounds to me like you were more than fair. I'm not sure I would have been so gracious. I'd like to think so, but I'm not sure. We all usually have to just live with what the Ump calls.

What allowed you to effectively alter what the Ump had decided? Is there a rule that allows you to do that?

 

[ctfastpitch]

Think you handled it the fairest way possible. It's a bit unfair of the other coach/parents to expect you to put a runner on that didn't earn it. And you would have been unfair to your team if you agreed to it.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Sounds to me like you were more than fair. I'm not sure I would have been so gracious. I'd like to think so, but I'm not sure. We all usually have to just live with what the Ump calls.

What allowed you to effectively alter what the Ump had decided? Is there a rule that allows you to do that?

We use teenager umps who are easily influenced by the coaches and managers who were pleading with the him and me to award 1B. I think the ump said something to the effect that its up to me to allow the batter to 1B if I would allow it. The other team's coaches were calling me bush league and other choice words and were warned by the ump (I would have tossed one of them).

The other manager approached me and said would you consider a substitue batter and I said sure if she inherited the pitch count. Why the other team thought it was my decision, I still don't understand.

 

[andyh64000]

If you didn't think it was a completely blown call and the ump was impartial and the game mattered what else could you do? You even offered to use a substitute batter...that is more than fair. I would have done the same thing. I guess if I thought the ump egregiously blew the call then I would have probably let her have first base.

Also, maybe as a teaching moment after the game I would have (nicely and diplomatically) suggested to the Ump that he should not have put you in that position. He made the call not you.

 

[stephanie]

I had a not so similar situation last season. A team we played had one good pitcher, who was pulled for hitting too many batters. Their 2nd pitcher was pitching illegally, and the ump called her on it a few times. Their coach and the ump come up to me and ask if I would be okay with their only other pitcher pitching illegally for the rest of the game.
um...no, I wouldn't be. My pitchers learned to pitch legal. Theirs should too.
I'm actually shocked that the ump agreed that if it was ok with me, it would be ok with him...WHA??

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I am glad the the ump called the play right. As the mom of a couple of pitchers, the batter gets the base 9 times out of 10, it seems.

I can still remember a girl that leaned into a strike in Prescott and got her base.

You were more than fair.

 

[amanda_cake]

I have to say that I wouldn't have been so nice.

 

[alexander58]

You made the right call in a no win situation.

 

[SoCalDad]

You did the right thing for your team. Ump made the call and you were gracious enough to allow a substitute batter.

I do have a question for the umpires on this board. I read rule 8.1.F exception that covers this situation. What I could not find is any rule that defines how long the batter has until they have to get back into the batters box. I know rule 7.3.B specifies that the batter has 10 seconds to enter the batters box after instructed by the ump but I can't find anything that addresses how long the ump can give the batter to recover after being hit by the ball. Is it discretionary?