Coach, do your pitchers wear masks?

[flash277]

I just finished calling a 12u game. The coach put in a reliever who wasn’t wearing a mask. Also the sun was going down a bit, and the sun was in her eyes, and she was wearing sunglasses. I asked the coach if she forgot her mask, he said no, she doesn’t like to wear one. I asked him if he’s good with that and he said he is. I asked him
If she got smashed in the face, the parents would come after him, he said no they wouldn’t, they good with it too.
We’ll the game continued, she didn’t get hit, but it bothered me that a coach, and her parents, would let a pitcher that young (or any age really) not wear a mask. You don’t let your kid sit in a car without a seatbelt., why would you let them pitch without a mask?
And he she did get hit in the face and seriously injured, is the coach covered by simply saying “ she didn’t want to wear a mask”

 

[inumpire]

Never really understood why we make girls wear a mask, but same age group baseball they don’t wear mask? Why?
Maybe we aren’t teaching the girls how to play defense very well? i see them wearing them in the outfield?

 

[chinamigarden]

I don’t think trying to enforce things that aren’t rules is something an ump should be doing.

 

[flash277]

I don’t think trying to enforce things that aren’t rules is something an ump should be doing.

True, but I don’t want to be behind the plate when a pitcher takes a line drive to the face without a mask on.

 

[nixxy311]

In our rec league masks are required for pitchers up to 18U. Infield masks are required as well up to a certain age group. Not sure which. DD always wears a mask infield. I am not sure but it’s rare to see a pitcher not wearing a mask in HS too.
I know there have been MLB players that have taken one to the face. And the distance is much shorter for SB so that may be a factor.

 

[nixxy311]

Never really understood why we make girls wear a mask, but same age group baseball they don’t wear mask? Why?
Maybe we aren’t teaching the girls how to play defense very well? i see them wearing them in the outfield?

Younger ages usually wear them in rec in the outfield. I’ve seen a ball take a weird hop and hit an outfielder in the face.

 

[JayW]

In unrelated news, the Florida attorney who fought the FL motorcycle helmet law for decades just died of head injuries due to a motorcycle accident. No, he was not wearing a helmet. His passenger also died.

A Florida attorney who opposed the state’s helmet law dies in a motorcycle crash. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.

Ron Smith, who spent over a decade fighting Florida laws that required the use of helmets, represented a number of clients who violated state motorcycle requirements.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[dbronstein]

Never really understood why we make girls wear a mask, but same age group baseball they don’t wear mask? Why?
Maybe we aren’t teaching the girls how to play defense very well? i see them wearing them in the outfield?

The distances are closer in softball. The fields get bigger in baseball as the kids get older, and they generally play deeper relative to the field size. At 13u my son was pitching from 54 feet IIRC with 75 foot bases.

And yes there probably is a bit of seismic involved.

 

[quincy]

I have a srong opinion about this, facemask thread which there are a bunch on here.

DD was a P and was quick. She wore a faskmask since 8U. No ball ever hit her mask but DW and me required her to wear one.

That was our choice, ruling body's stay out of it.

 

[radness]

Repeatedly for years watch teams run defense at practice with no pitchers in the circle getting grounders.
(Yes, maybe P. circulating through Fielding at other positions but the pitching circle is much closer, and they should be going through their pitching motion to then Fielding)

Propose this question how many times have you gone to a Fielding Clinic workout where you pay for that hour or 2 hours... have they ever had defense for the pitcher in the circle?

How about this question how many people go to pitching lessons? How many of those pitching lessons include Fielding?

That said if not going to get Fielding workout in from how close pitcher is to a batter that face mask looks even better now.


All that said,
I would definitely wear a Fielding mask no matter where I was on the field.
Catching gear behind the plate.