Crazy way to lose a game

[ScottyDont]

Wasn't one of our games, but saw this in a tournament..

Runners on 2nd and 3rd, batting team down by 1, two outs.

Girl lines a base hit to RF.

As BR is rounding 1st, she starts looking like she's heading to 2nd, 1b coach grabs her arm and stops her.

Umpire calls BR out (coach interference?) before the winning run coming from 2b crosses the plate. Run doesn't count, all hell breaks loose with parents and coaches going nuts. LOL

Best line came from the coach that grabbed the girl.. "Ok, I know that's the rule Blue...but I can't believe you actually called me on it"

That was my team, four years ago. 9U Little League tournament. That coach was forever known as "Coach Hugs" from that day forth. Actually grabbed the girl as she was rounding the bag to prevent her from going to second, knowing that the run had to score to win the game.

Our team did end up winning in extra innings, otherwise I might have killed him later. He never coached in our league again (his choice).

 

[KCPRK]

My opinion is:

Traditionally ask umpire what he saw and to confirm ruling with field umpire. Umpire would have stood behind his decision. The field umpire would not overturn him. One could ask a UIC to intervene but ruling is correct if she didnt touch the bag.

If one was to use the other coach has to protest it then I see it happening like this. UMPIRE "coach your right-other coach has to say something." OTHER COACH-"Time out blue. Did she touch the plate"

Finish game. if you lost and the game matterred to the ultimate outcome then file a protest on the game itself.

 

[guero_gordo]

Runner on third, P calls for time to adjust her mask. She puts down the ball in the circle, takes her glove off, runner bolts home and scores because the umpire never acknowledged her request and the ball is live.

 

[Comp]

Had this been protested, how should it have been handled?

Im really not sure what the official ruling on this would be, have never seen a case play on it. Being as umpires are not suppose to tip either team to possible infractions, the umpire has let the cat out of the bag by calling the out. There is no way of knowing if the defense saw the missed base or not. Personally if I were the UIC, barring any official ruling to the contrary, I would declare the runner safe and not accept the appeal of the missed base by the defense as they had been tipped by the umpire. And then umpire and I would have long discussion after the game about missed bases are assumed to have been touched and what a proper appeal is.

 

[mgardner]

My opinion is:

Traditionally ask umpire what he saw and to confirm ruling with field umpire. Umpire would have stood behind his decision. The field umpire would not overturn him. One could ask a UIC to intervene but ruling is correct if she didnt touch the bag.

If one was to use the other coach has to protest it then I see it happening like this. UMPIRE "coach your right-other coach has to say something." OTHER COACH-"Time out blue. Did she touch the plate"

Finish game. if you lost and the game matterred to the ultimate outcome then file a protest on the game itself.

I don't see how finishing the game is fair to both teams. I guess what I'm asking is, how does an umpire or UIC make this right? By calling the runner out he cost one team a chance to win and he cost the other team a chance to appeal the missed base. Regardless of who wins in a finished game, the outcome is unfavorable to one team that had an opportunity taken from them.

 

[KCPRK]

I don't see how finishing the game is fair to both teams. I guess what I'm asking is, how does an umpire or UIC make this right? By calling the runner out he cost one team a chance to win and he cost the other team a chance to appeal the missed base. Regardless of who wins in a finished game, the outcome is unfavorable to one team that had an opportunity taken from them.

Didnt say I agreed with the theory. I like to pick my battles and in the scope of things this game was minor compared to many games we have and will have played.

I think Comp has the most realistic explanation.

 

[BretMan]

Had a girl hit a grand slam but somehow miss home. When she entered the dugout umpire called her out. She was the winning run.

Youd think he wouldnt even be looking at something like that. Id be heading to the clubhouse as an umpire assuming it was over.

Watching to ensure that the runners touch the plate is precisely what the umpire is supposed to be doing on this play.

Calling out runners for missing bases, without a valid appeal, is not...

I wouldn't want to be the guy who had to rule on that protest! Let's say you win your protest. Now the game resumes from the point of protest. The first thing I'm going to do as the defensive coach is appeal the missed base!

I can kind of get what Comp is saying above. If the defense was showing no indication of any intent to appeal, by the time the runner walked all the way over to the dugout, they likely didn't see the miss and weren't going to appeal anyway. If you judged that no appeal was forthcoming, I suppose you could rule that none would be accepted at that point.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

My opinion is:

Traditionally ask umpire what he saw and to confirm ruling with field umpire. Umpire would have stood behind his decision. The field umpire would not overturn him. One could ask a UIC to intervene but ruling is correct if she didnt touch the bag.

If one was to use the other coach has to protest it then I see it happening like this. UMPIRE "coach your right-other coach has to say something." OTHER COACH-"Time out blue. Did she touch the plate"

Finish game. if you lost and the game matterred to the ultimate outcome then file a protest on the game itself.

What sanction allows you to continue playing before protesting? It usually has to be done right away (e.g. before the next pitch or all infielders have left fair territory).

 

[3'sDad]

As told to me by the head of the travel orgaization DD was with:

State Championship softball game, he is the visiting team up 3 runs, with 2 outs in bottom 7th. Home team has the bases loaded; 0-2 pitch - strike 3 on a swing in the dirt. Catcher blocks ball; all she has to do is tag home for the force out to win.

Nope- catcher picks the ball up; fires to 1st and throws the ball out to the right field fence....bases clear and the batter runs completely around the bases and scores on the 4 base error for his team to lose by 1.

That's a tough one.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

We are in 10U final last June and are tied after 7 innings. Tourney rules specify extra innings (not tie breaker) and both teams go 3 up 3 down in 8th. Then, believe it or not, DD leads off the 9th with a shot over the fence and we are up a run, Next girl beats out an infield hit, steals second, gets sac bunted to third and scores on a ground ball to 2B ....we're up two.

They get us out and come up and we get the first two girls out and have two strikes on out #3 when the girls squeaks one up the middle for a single. She steals second so we have two out and one on when our pitcher walks a hitter to put runners on 1st and 2nd. We are still up two with two outs when their hitter knocks a nice grounder to 3B who is probably our best defensive player. Seeing this, our LF, for whatever reason, busts rear to cover 3B on a dead run and ball rolls under 3B's glove and right past the streaking the LFer. We know they are going to get one run but the LFer is running hard after the ball and accidentally kicks it all the way to the fence and the girl on 1B and hitter come all the way home and we lose by a run.