Who was duped???

[MTR]

The ruleset was NCAA. However, the act of stepping off the bag or creation of an out at home plate by the action of the batter neither hastens nor delays the game. So the application of rule 5-4-E would be improper.

Actually, it can and have seen it and most of these coaches/players do almost everything but telegraph their intent to the umpire.

It is not difficult to notice. BTW, Comp is correct, the OP simply stated that the batter stepped on the plate which has zero repercussions in any rule set if the batter is not simultaneously contacting the ball with the bat

 

[riseball]

Actually, it can and have seen it and most of these coaches/players do almost everything but telegraph their intent to the umpire.

It is not difficult to notice. BTW, Comp is correct, the OP simply stated that the batter stepped on the plate which has zero repercussions in any rule set if the batter is not simultaneously contacting the ball with the bat

So your assertion is that the rules regarding delay or hastening of the game are not only in the context of the pace of the game but also the duration? I think that might be a stretch.

I agree that merely stepping on the plate is not an out. My comment was simply that you must step across the plate for the desired result.

 

[Orange Socks]

I really appreciate this discussion and thank you for your comments. I have more information to share based on further discussions with an umpire and the dad mentioned in the OP. I asked the dad if the batter just stepped on the plate or walked across. He said that she walked across. So based on this new information Riseball is correct. Based on the information I posted comp is correct.

But the umpire I spoke with also mentioned a rule about making mockery/travesty of the game. He said he might just tell the batter to get back in the box and finish the at bat depending on the situation. If the opposing team is using stall tactics, and it is blatantly obvious, you might get a call in your favor from the umpire. It depends on the umpire and the situation at hand. Is the tourney running on time, is it hot as heck, how many more games does the ump have to call, etc??

 

[Ajaywill]

So your assertion is that the rules regarding delay or hastening of the game are not only in the context of the pace of the game but also the duration? I think that might be a stretch.

Really????

Let's see...you are playing in a game with a time limit of 80 minutes, no new inning is to start after that time.
You are the home team and are losing by three runs. There is two outs and no runners on and about 20 seconds left before the time expires. You instruct your batter to step from one batter's box to the other to end the inning so you get another chance to bat. You have DELAYED the ending of the game by your tactic.

 

[riseball]

Really????

Let's see...you are playing in a game with a time limit of 80 minutes, no new inning is to start after that time.
You are the home team and are losing by three runs. There is two outs and no runners on and about 20 seconds left before the time expires. You instruct your batter to step from one batter's box to the other to end the inning so you get another chance to bat. You have DELAYED the ending of the game by your tactic.

So by your comments you are of the opinion that the rules regarding delaying or hastening are applicable to the duration of the game? I have never seen it applied like that before. It is an interesting interpretation.

 

[MNDad]

I would think stall tactics are more applicable to delaying or hastening the game than stepping across the plate.

That's one of the few things thing I like more about HS ball is you don't have the time limits.

 

[BretMan]

But the umpire I spoke with also mentioned a rule about making mockery/travesty of the game. He said he might just tell the batter to get back in the box and finish the at bat depending on the situation...

The guy you're talking to is just making stuff up. There is no such "mockery/travesty" rule that would apply to this situation. That is a very common myth and the only people that buy into it are people who aren't really familiar with the actual rules.

 

[BretMan]

The ruleset was NCAA...

They have the same rule as ASA. See rule 16.19.1.4.

The rules against hastening or delaying a game date back to the very early days of professional baseball. Of course, those weren't timed games. But they did have to deal with issues of darkness or foul weather, and those issues led to these rules. A couple of examples:

- Bottom of the ninth inning and darkness approaching. Home team behind, but mounting a rally. Visitors stall or delay the game in hopes that it will be called for darkness before home team can score.

- Fourth inning and a storm is approaching. This is not yet a regulation game as the required number of innings have not been played. If a team is ahead, they might purposely make outs to get to the next inning and make the game regulation. If a team is behind, they might try stalling to prevent that.

These were two of the most common examples, but there could be many other incentives for a team to "delay or hasten" the game. Remember, this was professional baseball where the rule originated. That is because these tactics didn't go over well with fans who had paid their hard-earned money to see a game played to the best of the player's ability, not to see players stall or purposely make outs. The backlash from the fans prompted the rules against delaying or hastening the game to be written.

When softball came along, they copied quite a few of the existing baseball rules. These "delay or hasten" rules can be found in most all baseball and softball rule sets today.

In a timed game, with no set number of innings, whether a game is being delayed or hastened can get kind of murky. I'm not aware of any organization that offers specific guidelines for timed games that are any different than for non-timed games. That leaves the application of this rule up to the discretion of the umpire.

Personally, in a timed game, I would address this when the action creates a disadvantage for the other team. For instance, a team sitting on a lead that stalls, hoping for time to expire, essentially "takes the bats out of the hands" of their opponent. Illegally stalling can make it impossible for the other team to catch up.

On the other hand, purposely making outs to end an inning, because you're behind and want to play another one, isn't much of a disadvantage to your opponent. It doesn't prevent them from having any chance to win the game, like stalling can. If anything, it actually gives them a chance to score even more runs and to increase their lead.

As a general guideline, umpires are taught to avoid forfeits if at all possible. We probably shouldn't jump in and declare one at the first sign of illegal stalling. Our first action should be to keep things moving along (not allow excessive time outs or conferences, keep batters in the batters box between pitches, enforce the time limit for the pitcher to pitch, etc.). If things get excessive, I've found that warning the coach of the possible ramifications for illegally stalling (forfeit) has always got things right back on track.

 

[riseball]

They have the same rule as ASA. See rule 16.19.1.4.

The NCAA ruleset ends with rule 15. But despite the interesting history the application of the rule in the given situation would be quite a stretch and would involve taking rule out of the context as written. In the situation described by the OP it was unfortunate that the umpire did not address the first transgression properly which would have negated the need for the hitter to step across the plate. It has been in similar situations where I have had the rare opportunity to employ the same tactic.

 

[BretMan]

The NCAA ruleset ends with rule 15.

Apologies for the typo. The NCAA rule is 6.19.1.4.

And now I have to ask...

If you weren't even aware that this was an NCAA rule, then how would you know if it was being taken out of context or not properly interpreted?