ASA - What, if any, are the appeal options

[smddad]

Situation - Bases loaded 1 out. Batter hits the top of the ball that bounces off of home plate and takes off running. Catcher field ball in fair territory, steps on plate and throws to 1st. In the mean time, PU is hollering, "FOUL BALL! FOUL BALL!"

Time called and umpire is questioned as to why he ruled the ball foul. Answer was that it hit the plate. Since he was wrong in his rules interpretation, home plate IS fair territory and part of the playing field, is their any appeal after he killed the play?

 

[Sweet Lou]

I don't think you can appeal. Once the ump yells fouls the play is dead. I don't think it is an appealable call. His judgement was foul even if it was wrong I think the play is dead and you go on from foul ball.

 

[MT 73]

The best you can do is file a protest due to a misinterpretation of the rules.
But in this situation I don't think it will go very far.
Judgement calls/fair/foul, etc, are not protestable

 

[Comp]

It may have been a missinterpretation and application of a rule, but once the umpire yelled foul both teams are generally at a disadvantage. Typically when players hear foul they stop playing, runners stop running and defenders stop making an attempt to make a play. Reversing a foul call after the fact could disadvantage either team pretty drastically depending on the situation. In the play described it sounds like had nothing been called it would have been a pretty easy double play, but did the b/r let up running in the slightest when they heard foul?

I did see a situation earlier this year where a crew did reverse a foul call. 3 man crew and plate umpire called a shot down the left field line foul. Offensive coach came out to argue F5 had tipped the ball in fair territory, crew gets together and discusses the call and U3 informs plate umpire he did in fact see F5 touch the ball. PU reverses call to fair and if memory serves there were now runners on 1 and 2. Defensive coach now more than a little ticked and protests the reversal of the foul call. UIC is called in and based on the rule book there is actually no specific wording barring an umpire from reversing a call from foul to fair so the protest was not upheld. But, post game there was a discussion between the UIC and crew and they were told once foul is called, right or wrong to stay with the foul call.

 

[chinamigarden]

Situation - Bases loaded 1 out. Batter hits the top of the ball that bounces off of home plate and takes off running. Catcher field ball in fair territory, steps on plate and throws to 1st. In the mean time, PU is hollering, "FOUL BALL! FOUL BALL!"

Time called and umpire is questioned as to why he ruled the ball foul. Answer was that it hit the plate. Since he was wrong in his rules interpretation, home plate IS fair territory and part of the playing field, is their any appeal after he killed the play?

That's impossible. Umpires never perpetuate incorrect rule myths. You must have misheard him.

 

[chinamigarden]

Let's pretend for a minute that the plate is foul. Shouldn't the call have been that the ball was touched in foul ground? It doesn't matter where the ball hits until it is touched or passes 1st or 3rd. Just touching foul territory or fair territory isn't enough to make the call

 

[Umpire]

Let's pretend for a minute that the plate is foul. Shouldn't the call have been that the ball was touched in foul ground? It doesn't matter where the ball hits until it is touched or passes 1st or 3rd. Just touching foul territory or fair territory isn't enough to make the call

Yes, although with this umpire's train of thought (one that I am glad I don't have to ride on), he probably was of the mindset that the ball hit an object (e.g., bat, runner, fence, etc.) in foul territory, which would result in a foul ball

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I did see a situation earlier this year where a crew did reverse a foul call. 3 man crew and plate umpire called a shot down the right field line foul. Offensive coach came out to argue F5 had tipped the ball in fair territory, crew gets together and discusses the call and U3 informs plate umpire he did in fact see F5 touch the ball. ...

Wow, that F5 has incredible range to reach a ball on the other side of the IF...

 

[Comp]

Wow, that F5 has incredible range to reach a ball on the other side of the IF...

Sorry, left field line, will go fix it.

 

[Ajaywill]

Situation - Bases loaded 1 out. Batter hits the top of the ball that bounces off of home plate and takes off running. Catcher field ball in fair territory, steps on plate and throws to 1st. In the mean time, PU is hollering, "FOUL BALL! FOUL BALL!"

Time called and umpire is questioned as to why he ruled the ball foul. Answer was that it hit the plate. Since he was wrong in his rules interpretation, home plate IS fair territory and part of the playing field, is their any appeal after he killed the play?

This is a protestable call due to the rule misinterpretation. Home plate is in fair territory and if the ball was first touched in fair territory it is a fair ball. If this is an ASA tournament, there should be a UIC available and a protest must be lodged before the next pitch. The key is making sure the umpire repeats the same statement about the ball being foul because it hit the plate. If the UIC grants the protest and rules the ball fair, now the questions becomes, how do we fix it? From the OP, it sounds as if the play happened fairly quickly, so it seems that a ruling of a double play is the most likely outcome.

In the situation Comp describes, the reversal of the foul ball call was a reversal of a judgement call by the plate umpire. Different than the situation presented in the OP.