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Home , Beanball, Ray Chapman, Tony Conigliaro, Umpire (baseball)

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STRETCH POSITION Rulenoe:ks Giv* 'Elast[c Pswer'

Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from : Game lntellegence, abook published by Referee. To purchase the book go to the Referee Training Center at referee.com or call 800:733 6100

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oi:['[lffi ::r.'J],ii'.r#i:' events that do not have direct rules coverage. Retired AL agrees that baseball seems to have more of those opportunities thar any other sport. He also beLieves that umpires will not always find adequate explanations to help rectify problems when an umpire has erred. In the early days of the game, the rulemakers took a wait-and-see approach. \A,/hen something of the ordinary occurred, the umpire would do whatever he thought was fair and rules would later be changed to address the situation. One example is the rule regarding at the plate by a retired runner, which emanated from an umpire's on-the-spot decision in an 1887 American Association game. On an grounder that was booted, a runner scored from third and the runner on second tried to score. R3 hung around the plate and seeing his teammate would be out, he shoved the , preventing a tag. In the melee that foilowed, the runner on fust also scored. However, umpire Wesley Curry deciared, "Obshuction," called R2 out and disallowed R1's baseball had a new rule. - l.:jij . -l:iil ;liiiq+iin q,?3r*7i Surprisingly, the "elastic clause" (NFHS 10-2-3g; NCAA 3-6b; pro 9.01c)

Todd Tichenor, Holcomb, Kan., indicates a runner has been awarded second base. 9 q The "elastic power" rule allows umpires to award bases, declare outs and make other decisions not specifically covered in the rules. @Rwmm :,,,,:i,,:,,,,,Fqill!qte,6drihie,gibJeottlri*{hr',,,,:,,,"..r:l:: advanced se/ch opiron on MyFef€€e ua www.referee.com

58 I REFEREE November2o14 which gives umpires, especially the A rare use of the elastic clause at umpire-in-chief, authority to rule on the major league level was made in an sitnations that are not covered by rr;Ire, Apri12007 game between

did not appear in pro rules until 1953. and Baltimore. In the top of the third George Drouches iS the fourth . Evans sees a clear need for a rule iming, with runners on first and man to serve as the national such as 9.01 (c) to enable the umpire third and one out, Baltimore's Ramon umpiring coordinator for the NCAA. The previous coordinators to make a mling on the spot that fairly Hernandez sent a liner to center field. were Jon Bible (1990-96); Dave administers the "spirit of the rules." Grady Sizemore made a sprawling Yeast (1996-2009); and Gene Evans said, "Those'on the spot' and threw to first to get Miguel McArtor (2009-14). ruiings should be made with common Tejada for the -ending sense and in the best interest of fair play. Before Tejada was put out, play. It is critical that the umpire has a however, Nick Markakis tagged up thorough working knowledge of the and scored from third. rulebook so that he does not create a The run shouid have counted. The 6-- ruling that is already covered in the play was a time play and not a force Number of MLB umpires who list book." play. However, plate umpire Marvin their home state as Arizona. The NFHS and NCAA agree such Hudson waved the mn off without __A a powerful rule must be used carefully. protest from the Baltimore bench. In Members of 's crew The rule does not allow rules to be the bottom of the sixth, crew chief who hail from Arizona (Barrett, created or lgnored at an umpire's called the press box Higley; Alfonso Marquez, Gilbert; whim. It is not intended for umpires and told the to give and Paul Schrieber. Scottsdale.) to set aside book rules for what they'd Baltimore another run. Montague's prefer. The rule can only be applied decision gave Baltimore a3-21ead in a to those points that are not covered game it eventually won,7-4. in the book. "An umpire must not Although the decision to only know what is in the rulebook, the affect run did not the outcome of Umpires want to "get thei call but he must also know what is not in the game, the Indians contended that right." And. today, more than ever, the book," Evans said. "Otherwise, he Baltimore lost its chance to get the we are willing to consult with our might make a ruling that contradicts run back when it did not protest the partners rn order to do just that. However, you an existing rule." cancellation of Markakis' run before the best way can accomplish that is by working During Evans' professional career, Erik Bedard threw his first in the as hard as possible to get your he encountered the elastic clause bottom of the third inning. plays right in the first place. lf every two or three years. Those odd Montague's report of the incident you judge all of your plays, to the happenings were usually put into the made it clear that the umpires best of your ability. it wiil limit the times when you interpretation manual the following corrected the mistake in the interest of need to ask for help. Don't make a habit of asking year, but not every play or situation "getting it right" without an inquiry for help on every close play. that occurred found its way into the from the Orioles. In fact, that situation Call all that you can for yourself, officiai rules. is not an , but simply the accept missed calls and know the According to Evans, an example correction of an . MLB's statement circumstances under which the rules prohibit you of a 9.01 (c) situation is the rule said, "Mindful of (the umpires') from changing a call. stipulation of the penalty of a one-base obligation that the first requisite is award when a player uses detached to get decisions correct as the rules equipment to touch a pitched ball. instruct them, this umpire crew was There has always been a provision for within the authority that Rule 9.01 (c) a (three bases) and a thrown gave them to correct the game score "lt's receiving. Framing is what a ball (two bases), but no provision for a rvhen they did." high schooler does to try to trick pitched ball. V\4ren they encountered The umpires were not covered by the ump. l'm just receiving it as that situation, umpires invoked the the "next pitch" rule, since there is no still as possible and giving the ump a good look." elastic clause and awarded one base. rule that states an umpire's mistake After that, it was explained in the must be corrected by the next pitch. * Milwaukee interpretation manual, but did not That is an example o{ how 9.01 (c) can Erewers'oetcher make it into the rulebook until recentiy. be correctly used. Jonathan Lueroy's A glaring misuse of the elastic Sometimes situations occur and reaction to people refening to clause, for example, wouid be to award umpires would like to use the "elastic what he does as three bases for a batted ball that goes clause" to cover up a mistake, but "framing" a pitch. i= beyond a very deep fence. "He would that's not proper. Take an example have easily had a ," claimed the from a playoff game in Coiorado in $UFCE: SrcFIs : ILLUSTRA|ED € prep umpire who actually did that which an unusual situation occurred severai years ago. due to a different type of umpire error.

REFEREE November2014 I 59 The three-umpire crew was runner saw that signal and assigned to a field it had not worked began to trot. The ball was relayed before and none of the umpires walked home and R1 was tagged out after a . . tn .each,of the following, )lau a!'e i the perimeter to familiarize themselves between home and third. given a situation and at least two possible answers. Decide which with the field. The fence was The batter-runner ended up on third. ans.wer or answers aie correit for. .. a fence that varied in height. At The umpires conferred and decided NFHS, NCAA and pro rules, which the right-field foul pole, the fence was to let the out stand. Most surprisingly, may vary. Solutions: p. 81. four feet high and in right center it no one was ejected. The exact 1. R1 is on first and attempting abruptly rose to eight feet to protect a discussion that took place is unknown, to steal on the pitch. FB makes a tennis court. but the first-base umpire later stated, "I shoestring catch of B3's Iiner. F8's From the plate area, the eight- signaled the home rury but did not kill thi,ow,gijes intorthe . .H1 was foot could conceivably be the fi,vo steps from second when F8 portion ball." released the throw and between viewed as two fences. Since it was The umpires could have applied second and third when the throw only one fence, a batted ball has to l0-2-3L, which allows umpires to entered dead-ball territory. clear the fence to be a home run. rectify their own mistakes when a a. lf R1 was attempting to return to first base, allow him the chance Any ball hitting the fence remains runner is placed in jeopardy, but to retouch. in play. That was discussed as part chose not to do so. Since there is b. R1 must retouch second of the ground rtles in the pregame rule coverage for fixing an umpire's before proceeding back to first. conference. However, the first-base mistake, the elastic clause would not r c. Sinc€ R.1 .had not retouched second before the ball went into umpire apparently misunderstood the apply. Because the rule does not state dead-ball territory, he may not explanation. how a situation should be rectified legally retouch first base. And of course, it came into play. specifically, one could argue that the d. With no attempt to retouch gecarid and first legally, H1. may be With a runner on fkst, a batted ball elastic clause would be used in making called out on appeal. just under the top of the highest fence the base awards. -, e. R1 is awarded third. r n,'. . l-). , ,. .l r i. -, ., and bounced back. The home team's !Jl\,\' l :: t. r. S, t;l 1{ B1 is awarded home. f, t',,1,, i t,. 1; a {, r',1, knew the ball was in play ',4,, '1 ",\ " i 2. Wilh R:t on first and Rg on third, and reacted accordingly. The first-base !ttt',i,.1,'tt! ,':,i i' tlt, r!! :r!t; r Jir

i,t!'. lt,tt,,!, L r.t' !h t , i,, ,.:,, rJi ir q, Ir:,'r BB hits a ground ball between first umpire, who correctly went out to ]l; t i,;, playing and second. F3, who is in observe the "trouble" ball, signaled ,:i4ir'i,,7li [ ],llr:;-i < /l iSt'r i,l'rJ,r front of R1, dives to his right, but cannot make the play. The ball home run. Both R1 and the batter- strikes Fl1. who is past F3. F4 is playing at "double-play depth," and'has no play on the ball. R3 advances to home, R1 ends up at second and BB at first. a. The ball is dead when it hits Keep Plate Meeting Rl, b, R3 scores. c. R3 returns to third. Short, to the Point d. R1 is out. e. R1 must stay at first. f. B1 may stay at second. Bv Jolrn Coc;ns the . Start with the g. B8 may stay at first base. backstop. Most fields' backstops have 3. R1 is on first and R3 i6 on thir.d . Lfow many times has your plate no breaks (backstop is straight and with two outs. R3 gets in a rundown I Imeeting with the head coaches vertical) and played as live should a belween.third and home and Fl3 is seemed to be difficult to understand? thrown ball hit the screen. obstructed. R1 legally advances to second after the and The plate meeting is a simple Next, cover the third-base dugout. starts toward third. As R3 retreats but yet very important aspect in Things to consider are the top step of toward third, the defense retires Rl umpiring. The purpose is to establish the dugout, the facing or padding of for the third out. a. The umpires correctly leave the ground rules to be used during the dugout and any chalked dead-ball the ball live. the game or . The usual lines. Continue moving down the left- b. Play should have been procedure is to have the home team field line, which may include a tarp or stopped when obstruction occurred. head explain the ground rules . Most tarp rules allow players c. R1 is awarded second. d. R1's out stands. on the first game of the series. If a to lean on the tarp but do not allow e. B3 is awarded home. crew (or umpire) has been to the the player to elevate. In other words, f. R3 does not score since he stadium or field before or if the game keep the players' spikes off the tarp. didn't touch the plate before the third out. is being played at a neutral site, the If the are located within the g, R3 scores. His award plate umpire or crew chief can give field, determine if they are considered supersedes the third out since the ground rules. live-ball territory. AIso, determine obstruction happened first. There is a specific procedure that how a ball is played should it enter should be used when going through the bullpen.

60 I nfrfnre November2ol4 '.,1, Not all plays at ffist @6 are routinq,, Tltg'Base umliirdYfi ust adjust when Read, Read there is a bad throw, moving to see if the first Step and Lean baseman keeps his fdof',

1# , on the bag $iihile mbking Umpire Bill Berger, Ventura, Calif., l&r reads that the throw was offline and :'%I k*-I takes a read step with his left foot toward the foul line. Additionally, he leans to see the has pulled his foot off the bag.

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Who's on First First?

Berger stays with the play, watching the runner cross the base and seeing the first baseman's heel return to the bag. Who touched the bag first?

,,..-@- s4 * -..*e$H"-ffi F"** W 7 tll\ 4|i,:::tt Sell the Call

After calling the runner , Berger makes a sweeping motion to indicate the first baseman was off the bag at the time the runner crossed the base. Had the call been an out. Berger could have aggressively pointed to the bag. saying, "He's on the bag! ' before calling the out.

= a

REFEREE November20l4 Move along to the outfield fence. finish the plate meeting by confirming Most places have a scoreboard and start times for the remaining games batter's eye that are recessed, which or how much time is needed between DeadrBall Appeiil means they are clearly out of play. games for a . Play: With B2 on second Continue by making your way Finally, while the coaches may and R3 on third and no outs, 87 flies out to right field. Both douryr the right-field Line, which engage in banter with each other, the runners retouch and advance, should be similar to the opposite umpires should remain professional however Fl3 leaves early. Once side of the field. Finish your ground throughout the meeting. One ill-timed the ball is returned to the infield, rules by explaining how the first-base comment puts the entire umpire crew reQuests the offensive coach, dugout will be played. Again, that behind for the weekend. time to talk to R2 at third base. p t;1i111ty Meaiiwhili), the defensive ioach should be similar or identical to the Lrtit L,r';,. ,1,11- lt.;tlti,-. |;ttlt!rl yells, "Appeal third base, the third-base dugout. far ritu: u{.{trs cttd htts turrpti:"t:r} L}it:isiott I runner left too soon." Ruling: ln lf the game is part of a serjes, collrye basebal! fur four ,!!itrs. : NFHS, a dead-ball is permitted, so once iime is granted, the defensive coach's appeal should be ruled upon (8-2-6c). ln NCAA and aro, an appeal ian be made only once the plate umpire has The Lowdown on Who's Up properly made the ball live (NCAA 8-6b; pro 7.10). Liy J.r1'Miner improper batter, if on base, is removed ts Thai a Strike? from base and any outs made by Play: With R1 on fiist, 87 holds TThe late Nick Bremigan, former ordinary play are canceled. the bat over the plate as if to I major league umpire and umpire In NFHS, outs made by ordinary , but does nol move it. the school instructor, devised a simplified play stand after out of order is pitch is outside the . batting out of order system for penalized except any out made by the Buling: ln all three codes, that is not a strike. ln NFHS and pro, the umpires to follow. Essentially, he improper batter is superseded by the batter must make an attempt to broke down the wordy rule into three out declared for batting out of order. hit the ball (NFHS 7-2- 1b. 7.2.1B; courses of action for the umpire: Play 1: R2 is on second and R1 pro 2.00-strikelal), tn NCM, it is Batting out of order discovered on first with no outs. It is B3's turn to a strike if the barrel head of the too soon. That happens when the bat but B4 erroneously bats and hits a bat passes the batter's front hip. That does not apply if the batter defensive team appeals batting out of ground ball to F5. F5 steps on third to attempted to pull the bat back on order while the wrong batter is still force out R2 and fires to F4 at second the bunt attempt (2-38 AR). . In that case there is no penalty. to force out R1. 84 is safe at first. The The proper batter is simply brought to defensive team then appeals batting Ball Four, the plate and assumes the improper out of order. Ruling t In NCAA and Play: With a full count on 88 and H2 on second base. batter's cor-rnt. pro,B3, the batter who should have F1 fails to set and delivers ball Batting out of order discovered batted, is declared out. The outs on four. Ruling: ln NFHS, the ball at the right time. That occurs when R2 and R1 are nullified and they are is immediately dead. The pitch batting out of order is appealed returned to their original bases. 84 is doesn't count, B2 is awarded third immediately after the improper batter removed from base and returns to the and 88 remains at the plate with a full count. ln NCAA and pro. the completes his turn at bat and before plate as the proper batter. In NFHS, pitch counts only if R2 is stealing the next pitch. In that case, the proper it's a . The outs on R2 and on the play and is not thrown batter is declared out and the next R1 stand and 83 is declared out for out. BB is awarded,first and R2 batter is the batter who follows the failing to bat in proper order. 84 will is awarded third. Otherwise, the player just called out. the next inning (NFHS 7-1-1, ruling is the same as in NFHS (NCAA 9-3 Pen. 1; pro 8.05 Pen. Batting out of order discovered 7 -l-2; NC AA 7 -lla; pro 6.07). AH). too late. That happens when a batting- Play 2: The is Abel, out-of-turn appeal is made following Baker, Charles, Daniel, Edward, Frank, Very Late Swing the first pitch to the next batter. That etc. It is Abel's turn to bat but Charles Play: H1 is attempting to steal pitch legalizes the improper batter. In bats and hits a double. Abel then second. The pitch to 83 is in the dirl, so 83 does not swing that sifuation, no one is called out and comes to bat and strikes out. Baker immediately. However, once the the proper batter is the player who follows and also strikes out. It is now ball is past him, 83 waves the bat follows the legalized improper batter Charles turn to bat, but Charles is at the ball. Ruling: lf the ball is in the order. on second base. \Alhat's the ruling? clearly past, the batter cannot be \t\4ren batting out of order is Ruling 2: Charles is left on second charged with a strike. However, he can be charged with interference il discovered at the right time in NCAA base, skipped over in the batting order he hinders F2's attempt to throw and pro, the proper batter is out and and the proper batter is Daniels. ) \ ir.- ... . , ,.. the ball (NFHS 7-3-5c; NCAA other runners are returned to the bases td\ ittL,L t !-.,:Litttltt !,tui titL ,tllt! 7- 1 1 f; pro 6.06c). occupied at the time of the pitch. The baseball histarian fra*t Albaul, li"Y. '

62i REFEBEE November 2014 Bye Bye, Last Time By f lnder the rule known as "last L./ time by," a runner gets a chance to correct his error. If the runner retouches a base or bases while advancing to an awarded base or returning to the original base occupied at the time of the pitch, his failure to touch a base while returning is corrected under the theory that touching the base the last time by corrects any previous error (NFHS 8-2-6L, 8.2.6H; NCAA 2-51; pro interp, PBUC 6.12 play 7). Although the rule can be considered runner-friendly, there are limits to how much protection a circumvent the rule by taking an runner may receive. extreme shortcut to third. Even In the MechaniGram, Rl- misses though he touches third on his way third on his way home on a fly back to second, R1 is subject to being ball to right field. R1 attempts to called out on appeal. i t

Helmets Put a Lid on lniuries

B,v Jcffrey $tetrr cheekbone. Conigliaro was knocked unconscious and was carried off the f\n Aus. 1,6, 1920. Cleveland field on a stretcher. He was taken to L,lsnortltop' was Santa Maria Hospital in Cambridge, killed when he was hit in the temple Mass., where it was determined he by a pitch thrown by the Yankees' had suffered a fractured cheekbone, a . But it was 37 years before dislocated jaw and a damaged retina. either major league addressed the Rule 1.16 in the Official Baseball issue of protective headgear. Rules provides not only the The AL ordered players to wear regulations but some of the history protective headgear starting with regarding batting helmets. Players the 7957 season. Players were given are required to "use some type of the option o{ wearing helmets or protective helmet" while at bat. plastic inserts inside their caps. Most Those who were active in the 1982 players, trading the appearance season and recorded their objection of machismo over the protection to wearing a helmet with an earflap offered by a helmet, chose the inserts. were allowed to wear a head cover Helmets became mandatory in NFHS only. and NCAA rules in 1973. In 2007 , Tulsa Drillers first-base Helmets with earflaps on the side coach Mike Coolbaugh was struck of the helmet facing the didn't in the neck by a line drive and become prevalent until after Aug. 18, subsequently died. Shortly thereafter, \967, when perhaps the most famous coaches on the baselines were was thrown. California required to wear helmets. Earflaps Angels pitcher threw are not required. a pitch that hit young Boston Red i ',1, :, -,', ,'r; R,'l','ri't. ..,'ti('; , tijtlt, i> n

Sox star on the left trttt:t'tt-tt !tigk sckcl! utnpirc, i '