Is there a rule I'm missing? Umpire hit by wild pitch...bases awarded?

[KPower]

First - I don't usually blame a loss on the umps...but this time I have to. Please explain the reasoning behind this first situation....the other two are just further examples of our day.

DD plays 12U. Big tourney this last weekend. It wasn't going to be a cake walk by any stretch of the imagination, but DD's team knew they had a legit chance to win.

Playing a very good team in the semis. Plate umpire gets hit in the hand by a wild pitch. I know it hurt - we heard the smack/crack. He immediately ran to the back of the backstop and bent over at the waist in pain. Other team had 2 girls on and they both started running. Runner on on 2nd advances to 3rd and decides to come home. Plate ump is still at back of backstop facing the other direction. Our catcher has the ball and makes an obvious tag out at home. Not even close. Probably 2 feet in front of the base. Plate ump all of a sudden turns around and calls her safe and awards the other runner currently on 2nd another base?!?!? We are all so confused. Field ump has convo with plate ump and it's decided that all calls were fine?!??!

The coaches were going crazy - and they are usually very calm, and rarely argue calls. Tourney director would not overturn. Every call from that point on went against DDs team. It was like the team was being punished because the ump got hit. It is a hazard pf the job!!! More examples....The other team "tagged" one of our runners out with her glove while the ball was in the other hand, another runner was called out even though the short stop obviously dropped the ball and then put her glove on top of it to try to hide it.

Such a frustrating day. It was 100 degrees and I know everyone was tired, bit it made me so sad that the umps decided this game in the way.

 

[Cobb_of_Fury]

My guess the Plate Ump was so overcome with pane he could no longer think straight - In no way is there an award for an Ump being hit - They are considered part of the field It's not even a dead ball when they are hit.
So either he was in a pain induced Stupor and lost his mind or was a vindictive rear who was mad at your pitcher or Catcher for hitting him and took it out on the team -

 

[Osric]

My guess the Plate Ump was so overcome with pane he could no longer think straight - In no way is there an award for an Ump being hit - They are considered part of the field It's not even a dead ball when they are hit.
So either he was in a pain induced Stupor and lost his mind or was a vindictive rear who was mad at your pitcher or Catcher for hitting him and took it out on the team -

Or, and this is much more likely, that he simply missed the call. He had his back turned, was in pain, didn't realize what was going on and assumed the runner was safe. Field ump was at least 60 feet away, so he didn't feel confident in making the call (especially if he was watching somewhere else).

What you don't tell us is what took your catcher so long to get the ball and get it back to your pitcher who was (hopefully) covering home plate. Ball hit a person. When that happens the ball doesn't usually ricochet out of control allowing a runner to take two bases. Nor do we know what the runner on 1st was doing. Was she also trying to take two bases? When your players made the tag at home, did the ump call the play dead for some reason and then justified the advancement due to the runner being on her way? There isn't enough info here to really understand what was going on with that play.

The other calls, while bad, could easily just be missed calls. I've seen worse.

Throw into this that your "coaches went crazy" and you could easily have a hostile situation between ump and coach. You also mention that the TD wouldn't overturn, but don't explain what was being challenged. The TD cannot and should not overturn a judgement call (calling a runner safe at home). He could make a ruling on the awarding of a base, but that could also easily be in the judgement call ruling depending on what the umps used as justification.

I'm sorry, but there is just too much unanswered here. There isn't a clear picture of the event to make a guess at who was right/wrong.

But I will say that any catcher that allows a runner to take 2 bases on a WP better have a darn good excuse. Unless that ball was rolling towards the outfield, there is no reason why this scenario should have happened.

 

[KPower]

The ball was kicked by the umpire towards the back of the backstop and our catcher was trying to get it out from under his feet - all while he was bent over in pain and shuffling around. I think the base ump was distracted by the PU hollering and bent over in pain and wasn't focused on the plays. It all seems like it was happening in slow motion. PU's back was turned for a good while. The coaches were yelling for the ump to call time...there was a lot of chaos on the field. I think I'm mostly puzzled as to why the runner on 1st was awarded another base? She was stopped on 2nd when he finally turned around and he motioned for her to take another base. That is where the confusion comes in. Why? Doesn't seem like a judgement call. That is what was contested. The other calls - yes - I agree, mistakes happen...it just seemed like after he got hit the calls became very one sided.

As far as the coaches going crazy - that was probably a bit of an exaggeration. They were yelling from the dugout initially - for the ump to call time and for the fielders to get the ball, but in no way got in the umps face. Our HC is very calm and came out to talk to the ump about the call - that is when the TD was called. There was no yelling from HC. He was frustrated for sure, but kept it in check when speaking directly to the ump and the TD.

 

[Osric]

What was the official reason given? The umps had a conference and the TD was called in, so there must have been a decision by someone. Something in the ground rules? Ball out of play or in a dead zone in the backstop? it is hard to make a ruling call based on speculation of what the ruling may have been. There obviously isn't a rule that says, "if ump is hit then runners get an extra base." But there could be a situation that was cited that would allow this.

But again, and I hate to blame a 12u player, if that catcher gets to that ball and back to the pitcher like she should be trained to do, none of this matters. Runners get an extra base and are on 2nd and 3rd at worst. They need to be taught that it doesn't matter what else is going on or where the ball is, their job is to get the ball and get it back to the pitcher regardless of the circumstance.

 

[MTR]

If the BU was on the ball, s/he would have stepped into the IF and taken all plays since it was obvious the partner was no longer available. In doing so, s/he could have verbally communicated the action to the PU to avoid any confusion. Unfortunately, that is something that comes with experience and cannot be taught.

BTW, the TD has no authority in this matter unless there is a protestable situation and the TD is on the protest committee. The only protestable issue would be the inappropriate awarding of base(s), but the out call is judgment and can only be changed by the ruling umpire

 

[Jquick823]

First - I don't usually blame a loss on the umps...but this time I have to. Please explain the reasoning behind this first situation....the other two are just further examples of our day.

DD plays 12U. Big tourney this last weekend. It wasn't going to be a cake walk by any stretch of the imagination, but DD's team knew they had a legit chance to win.

Playing a very good team in the semis. Plate umpire gets hit in the hand by a wild pitch. I know it hurt - we heard the smack/crack. He immediately ran to the back of the backstop and bent over at the waist in pain. Other team had 2 girls on and they both started running. Runner on on 2nd advances to 3rd and decides to come home. Plate ump is still at back of backstop facing the other direction. Our catcher has the ball and makes an obvious tag out at home. Not even close. Probably 2 feet in front of the base. Plate ump all of a sudden turns around and calls her safe and awards the other runner currently on 2nd another base?!?!? We are all so confused. Field ump has convo with plate ump and it's decided that all calls were fine?!??!

The coaches were going crazy - and they are usually very calm, and rarely argue calls. Tourney director would not overturn. Every call from that point on went against DDs team. It was like the team was being punished because the ump got hit. It is a hazard pf the job!!! More examples....The other team "tagged" one of our runners out with her glove while the ball was in the other hand, another runner was called out even though the short stop obviously dropped the ball and then put her glove on top of it to try to hide it.

Such a frustrating day. It was 100 degrees and I know everyone was tired, bit it made me so sad that the umps decided this game in the way.

High school game this spring it was maybe 40 degrees out. DD's team was up 8 or so at the time, on defense DD was catching. Ball in the dirt DD goes to block it takes a weird hop and nails the catcher in his bare hand and splits a knuckle open. DD asks ump if he's ok and he says with authority ABSOLUTELY NOT! Ump warned our coach that DD would be tossed if he was hit again on purpose. This guy honestly thought she missed the ball on purpose when winning 8-0. Two games later we have the same guy behind home plate and I was talking with him during warmups and he says did you see that catcher let me get hit the other day. I said yeah I saw you get hit and that catcher felt bad the whole way home because she didn't do her job well enough to protect you. We got a lot of calls that game.