A question about a call

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Bases loaded, one out. ?Two umpires, one at the plate and one positioned behind the shortstop. ?Batter hits a sinking liner at the shortstop. ?Ball is fielded at the ground. ?Tough call, maybe a catch, maybe not. ?Which umpire is responsible for making the call? ?And what are the appropriate signals both verbal and non-verbal?

 

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Standard "by-the-book" softball mechanics have the Plate Umpire making all "catch/no catch" calls- with one exception.

If the Base Umpire goes out toward the outfield to watch a catch, then their responsibilities switch. The BU has the catch and the PU has the runners on the bases.

The correct signals are to give a safe sign for "no catch", an out sign for "catch". Either can be augmented with a verbal call of "no catch" or "catch" (though some different associations will vary on the verbal part of the call).

 

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A good SS sells the catch for a split second, if no call goes to first.

 

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If F6 sells a catch, but I have "no catch", you will see me really sell the heck out of my safe call!

 

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Thanks bretman. One mistake in the original post, there was only one out. This situation came up in a sectional game and the field umpire, positioned directly behind the shortstop, made the call of catch by pointing at the ground with his finger, with no clear verbal call, while the shortstop immediately fired to the plate. Both teams reacted as if it was a "no catch" only to have the field umpire then say it was his call. Plate umpire did not overrule him. Interestingly enough, the plate umpire called the runner out at home on the play as if he also recognized the play as a "no catch". Obviously a very confusing and disheartening scenerio to have happen in the late innings of such an important game.

 

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Or the home plate umpire knew it was a caught ball and called the runner out because she was tagged with the ball for not tagging up after the catch. For him, it was a win-win situation.

 

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wvanalmsick- Catcher played it as a force out at the plate...no tag was made. Everyone on offense and defense AND the home plate umpire who should have made the "catch-no catch" call reacted and played as a short hop.

 

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Bucket Jockey,

Sorry, I missed the part about bases loaded, my bad. This type of play puts the runner in a no-win situation. Did the umpires do anything to correct for their indecision? Because if it was a "caught ball", then there is no force out at home.

I agree, very unfortunate to happen in the tournaments.

 

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The umpires met for, and I'm being generous here, about 5 seconds and did not change the original "indecision". I would have thought that given the circumstances, and based on the reactions of all involved, and given the fact that the base umpire was behind the SS on a drawn-in infield, a little more of a discussion might have ensued.

When the coach asked the plate umpire what he saw he said that he saw a catch. When asked why he originally called the girl out at the plate on the throw, he did not respond.

I understand that plays like that are bang-bang and can be confusing. But wouldn't that be even more of a reason to take a minute or so after the play to make sure that they got it right?

 

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Yes, those close plays can be confusing. Which just goes to underscore the importance of umpires using proper mechanics, standard signals and loud, clear calls.

"Pointing at the ground" is not a standard signal. If anything, it might be used to indicate "no catch", or that the ball is "on the ground". If you have a catch, just signal and call "out"! Standard mechanic, problem solved.

These guys took a simple situation and turned it into a comedy of errors. And I could imagine it getting even uglier.

Did they allow the call at home (the apparent force out) to stand, or did they allow the runner to score? If they let that out stand, they would have some explaining to do and, as a coach, I'm pretty much going to demand an explanation. Quite simply, if this was a catch, then that runner has not yet been put out.

Were any of the other runners who advanced off their bases before the "catch" was made? If they were, then you have other possible outs to be made on appeals for leaving early.

 

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Actually Bretman, what happened was this...after the shortstop threw to the plate, the catcher received the ball as if it were a force play. Plate umpire signaled out at the plate. Catcher then throws back to third, apparently to get the runner coming from second. Runner from second beats the throw easily but the field umpire began signaling out and pointing at the runner that had crossed home plate and said that she was out for not tagging up.

Just to add some more fun to the story, another umpire that I am acquainted with was standing behind the backstop just to the first base side next to the dugout. After the game, he came up to the coaching staff and said he clearly saw the ball skip and couldn't understand how the plate umpire wouldn't have been able to see and overturn the call. I also overheard two people talking that were fans of the opposing school say that they couldn't believe they got that call.