ASA rule on dropped 3rd strike.

[Sweet Lou]

I don't have a problem with someone asking occassionaly. That is certainly fine. Anyone could lose track of the count. The problem is when you give the count and they aren't paying attention and ask for it again. The problem is when you just said "3 balls, 1 strike" then call the next pitch "strike" and before you can take a breath you hear, "Hey, Blue, what's the count?" We are umpires, not score boards. Why don't coaches bug the score keeper for the count rather than asking the umpires all the time, quite possibly distracting them from other responsibilities?

Probably because we always know where the umpire is an often have no clue who or where the official scorer who may be from the other team is.

I think it is rare a coach will ask the count after a clear call and signal of the count but then I'm not behind home plate with coaches asking me.

 

[Eric F]

Many times, I can't hear a word the ump is saying for any number of reasons - cheering parents and/or kids, ump not speaking very clearly and/or facing away from where I'm sitting, etc. From my perspective (as a scorekeeper usually sitting on the home plate end of the dugout), hand signals that are rotated to be seen from all angles work the very best. Generally, if I miss a count call, I'll wait for at least one more pitch to see if the ump provides an update. I certainly agree that some people (hyperactive parents, typically) bug the ump far too frequently. For those parents on my DD's team, I try to provide that info quickly before the ump has to interrupt the flow of the game.

 

[MTR]

The umpire should provide the count without request, verbally and using the appropriate demonstration mechanics after:

The third pitch,
Anytime the next pitch could be a base on balls or strike out,
After ANY delay between pitches, (including a play, conference, foul ball, change in pitcher, etc.)