Umpire positioning question:

[TheRogue]

No-one on base. Deep line drive to center. Heavy wind, very flimsy fine mesh netting fence.

One the hit, field umpire moves from behind 1st base to between 1st and 2nd, inside the baseline.

Ball ends up on the other side of the fence. Fielders throw up hands, say it skipped under. Girl goes all the way around the bases for a HR.

Field umpire says his play was to watch the runner rounding 1B, did not see the ball.

Home plate umpire says he could not tell from his angle (straight on), it's field umpire's call;.

Final ruling: Ball went off top of fence and out, HR.

Needless to say, other team was pretty T'd off.

What "should" have happened? This was a 14A Oregon ASA state playoff game.

 

[Comp]

In a 2 umpire system, all fly balls are the plate umpires call. Sometimes in pregame the umpires will choose to have the base umpire go out on fly balls down the right field line or on balls hit to right field that look like they may be a problem. But, unless this has been discussed in the pregame, any fly ball is the plate umpires responsibility. From your description of the movement of the base umpire he was doing his job by button hooking inside the diamond and taking the batter/runner around first base and on to extra bases.

 

[BretMan]

What should NOT happen is for the umpire who is responsible for this call (the plate umpire) to foist off his responsiblility and throw his partner under the bus, all in one fell swoop!

Under no known umpire system would this be the base umpire's call. He was doing what he was supposed to be doing. Apparently, the plate umpire was not.

Did the plate umpire come out from behind the plate, into the infield, in the general direction of where the ball was hit? Was he looking at the ball when it touched down? That's all he really should have been doing on this play.

Balls hit near the fence can make for tough calls and temporary fences can make them even tougher. But that's what the umpires are getting paid for! You have to get out there and make the best possible call based on as much evidence as you can gather and see. Then you have to call...something.

You can always check with your partner after the play if there is some doubt as to what happened. But on a play like this, don't be surprised if your partner has nothing to offer- because he was doing what he was supposed to be doing, which was watching the runner.

 

[TheRogue]

Ball was definitely under the fence from my angle in the 1b coaches box, but I wasn't saying nothin'.

It's interesting it would be the HP umps call. I honestly don't know the umpire positioning rules.....but it seems like in a empty-bases situation, it would be easier for the HP umpire to come out and follow the runner's progress on the bases, and the field umpire would have a much better angle on what the ball was doing in the field.

Worked out for us though, good thing the hitter continued around the bases.

 

[MTR]

Ball was definitely under the fence from my angle in the 1b coaches box, but I wasn't saying nothin'.

It's interesting it would be the HP umps call. I honestly don't know the umpire positioning rules.....but it seems like in a empty-bases situation, it would be easier for the HP umpire to come out and follow the runner's progress on the bases, and the field umpire would have a much better angle on what the ball was doing in the field.

Worked out for us though, good thing the hitter continued around the bases.

And who is going to make the fair/foul call?

 

[hambon47]

And who is going to make the fair/foul call?

If the ball was hit to deep center, fair or foul should not be MUCH of an issue.

 

[MTR]

If the ball was hit to deep center, fair or foul should not be MUCH of an issue.

And what if it isn't hit to that part of the ball park? You know, you can come up with all the possibilities in the world, the prescribed mechanics for umpires based upon the number of umpires and game have been developed over years of experience. They are pretty damn good and has the umpires in the best position for the most likely play a lot more often then some TWP comes about.

 

[argodad]

No-one on base. Deep line drive to center. Heavy wind, very flimsy fine mesh netting fence.

BU could have chased in this situation, especially with the poor quality temporary fence. However, he did not, so PU had responsibility for this call.