default
Member
Last year was my first year of umpiring. I was told during my training that there would be situations that would really catch you off guard. Here was one of them. As a coach, parent, or umpire, how would you have ruled?
I was behind the plate for a 14U Rec fastpitch game. In the third inning, the home team was making a pitching change. The young lady taking the circle had the use of only her pitching hand. Her other hand had a physical deformity that made it unusable. She tucked the glove under her armpit, threw the pitch, then put her pitching hand in the glove to receive the return throw from the catcher. (Some of you may remember the major league pitcher, Jim Abbott, who did this as well) This switch over process was not done very quickly or smoothly.
When I saw what was going on, I, and my partner (who has twenty-some years of experience from rec to the college level), went over to the coach to express our concern over the safety of this young lady. He said that she had pitched previously this year and no other umpires had expressed concern. As she was not wearing a mask, and because it was obvious that she could not protect herself from a line shot up the middle, we told him that we would not allow her to pitch. This brought the mother from the stands who was not pleased with our ruling. She said that we were discriminating against her daughter. We explained that our primary concern was the safety of the players and that we were going to stand by our decision. The player in question then went out to the outfield were she finished out the game.
Mom contacted our association the next day and we were told by our president that we should have let her pitch. There was nothing in the rules or guidelines that prevented her from doing so and that we had no authority to stop her if both the coach and mother agreed to put her in the circle.
I am curious as what others think should, or should not have been done.
I was behind the plate for a 14U Rec fastpitch game. In the third inning, the home team was making a pitching change. The young lady taking the circle had the use of only her pitching hand. Her other hand had a physical deformity that made it unusable. She tucked the glove under her armpit, threw the pitch, then put her pitching hand in the glove to receive the return throw from the catcher. (Some of you may remember the major league pitcher, Jim Abbott, who did this as well) This switch over process was not done very quickly or smoothly.
When I saw what was going on, I, and my partner (who has twenty-some years of experience from rec to the college level), went over to the coach to express our concern over the safety of this young lady. He said that she had pitched previously this year and no other umpires had expressed concern. As she was not wearing a mask, and because it was obvious that she could not protect herself from a line shot up the middle, we told him that we would not allow her to pitch. This brought the mother from the stands who was not pleased with our ruling. She said that we were discriminating against her daughter. We explained that our primary concern was the safety of the players and that we were going to stand by our decision. The player in question then went out to the outfield were she finished out the game.
Mom contacted our association the next day and we were told by our president that we should have let her pitch. There was nothing in the rules or guidelines that prevented her from doing so and that we had no authority to stop her if both the coach and mother agreed to put her in the circle.
I am curious as what others think should, or should not have been done.