Little League Umpire Training for Spring 2020 Season

Little League Baseball & Softball New Umpire Training

Jeff Johnson, Umpire in chief, Redmond West [email protected] Jeff Cobb, Umpire in chief, Redmond North [email protected] Mike Walzak, Umpire in chief, Kirkland American [email protected] Steven Kehrli, Umpire in chief, Kirkland National [email protected] Agenda

• Fundamentals • The Rule of Two • Know What You Saw • Where to Stand and How to Move • Little League Differences • Arbiter: How to Sign Up For Games

Version Feb. 27 Fundamentals

• Be impartial • Know what you saw • Tell everyone what happened • Trust what you know about baseball • Don’t worry about the big rule book and baseball esoterica

3 The Basic Six

1. Out 2. Safe 3. Strike 4. Ball 5. Time 6. Foul

4 The Rule of Two

• Little League umpires work in pairs • One umpire can’t see everything. Two umpires can. • One plate umpire, one field umpire • Exactly one umpire makes any given call • Sometimes your job is to move, not to watch • Unlearn: not like watching a game from the stands! • Never correct your partner EVEN IF YOU KNOW THEY WERE WRONG • Remember what you saw • Wait to be asked by your partner (not by anyone else)

5 Normal Year Umpire Responsibilities

Home Plate Umpire Base Umpire

• Balls and strikes • Safe and out at 1B, 2B, and 3B • Catch / no catch on fly balls • Runners touching 1B and 2B • Fair / foul • Runners retouching 1B and 2B (fly ball) • Runners touching 3B and HP • Runners leaving early at 1B, 2B, and 3B • Safe and Out HP

6 Not So Normal Year Umpire Responsibilities

Home Plate Umpire Base Umpire

• Balls and strikes • Balls and Strikes • Catch / no catch on fly balls • Safe and out at 1B, 2B, and 3B • Fair / foul • Runners touching 1B and 2B • Runners touching 3B and HP • Runners retouching 1B and 2B (fly ball) • Safe and Out HP • Runners leaving early at 1B, 2B, and 3B • Runners leaving Early

7 Normal Year Umpire Equipment Home Plate Umpire Base Umpire Provided by the League Provided by the League • Hat • Shin Guards • Hat • Shirt • Plate Brush • Shirt • Mask • Indicator • Chest Protector • Ball Bag

Bring Your Own Bring Your Own • Grey Slacks • Cup • Grey Slacks • Red Flag • Black Belt • Pencil • Black Belt • Water • Black Shoes (Plate • Water • Black Shoes Shoes optional)

8 Not so Normal Year Umpire Equipment Home Plate Umpire Base Umpire Provided by the League (Check League Protocol) Provided by the League • • Hat Shin Guards • Hat • • Shirt Plate Brush • Shirt • • Mask (Cage) Indicator • Indicator • Chest Protector • Ball Bag

Bring Your Own Bring Your Own • MASK • Cup • MASK • Red Flag • Grey Slacks • Pencil • Grey Slacks • Water • Black Belt • Water • Black Shoes (Plate • Red Flag • Black Belt • CUP Shoes optional) • Black Shoes

9 How to Know What You Saw

• Start in the right place • Move if you need to based on where the ball goes • You need to see the ball and the runners at the same time • Stop moving before the play happens • Hold still • Especially hold your head still • Value “angle over distance” • Slow down and think about what you saw

10 How to call safe and out Order is important! 1. Move into position [angle more important than distance] 2. Play is about to happen: stop moving. 3. Play happens: watch. 4. Think about what you saw. 5. Find the ball. Make sure it’s where you think it is. 6. Decide what your call is going to be. 7. Announce + signal the result to everybody (if not obvious)

11 Normal Year Base Umpire Positioning

• “A” position • Behind first base, in foul territory • No runners • “B” position • Behind second baseman • R1 only • “C” position • Behind shortstop • The rest of the time

12 Not so Normal Year Base Umpire Positioning

• Base Umpire Behind and to the side of the pitcher • Home plate Umpire behind and to the side of the batter more the 6’ away. Think baseline extended.

13 What happens if the Field Ump gets Hit with the ball: Umpire Interference • If an Umpire gets touched by a batted all BEFORE it passes a Fielder NOT the pitcher and hasn’t been deflected the following happens: • It is an immediate Dead ball. • Batter Runner is awarded 1B and all other runners advance if forced to. • If the ball has been thrown, deflected, or passed another fielder then you are part of the environment and it is play on.

14 Base Umpire Rotation • Inside-out: • When the ball stays in the infield, the umpire stays outside the diamond • Outside-in: • When the ball goes to the outfield, the umpire moves inside the diamond • 2021—Always use the working area. No going out!

15 The Pitch

• It’s a strike if: • The batter attempts to hit the ball and misses. • The batter hits a foul with less than two strikes. • Any part of the ball crosses any part of the strike zone before hitting the ground. • Otherwise, it’s a ball

16 3-dimensional zone How to call balls and strikes

• Be completely still during the pitch • Track the ball with your eyes • Evaluate the trajectory and the zone • Decide what you’re going to call • Stay down to call balls, come up to call strikes • Provide pitcher the count on odd numbers (2- 1, 1-2, 3-2, 3-0)

18 How to call balls and strikes

19 How Little League is Like Major League Baseball

• Pre-game plate meeting • ”Play!” by whomever is calling balls and strikes • Out & safe • Fair & foul • Hit by pitch (HBP) • Calling time

20 Pregame: Plate meeting

• Umpires and 2 managers only. • Use managers’ first names • Start 5 minutes before game time • Provide heads-up to managers 5 minutes prior to plate meeting (aka, 10 minutes for start of game) • Collect lineups (Managers will NOT exchange line ups 2021) • Umpires control the game starting at this point • Time limits if in use • Get game balls (2 normally; 3 on a wet day) (Teams will supply their own game balls in 2021 and we aren’t to handle them) • Confirm that all players are legal and properly equipped • Confirm which players aren’t eligible to pitch

21 Hit by a pitch

• Ouch! • The ball is always dead (“Time!”) • Usually, the batter goes to first • If the batter swung, it’s a strike • If the ball was in the strike zone, it’s a strike • The batter was born with hands. The bat wasn’t.

22 Only umpires call time

• A manager or player requests time. The umpire may or may not grant the request. • Wait until all action is complete (unless for safety) and there is a reason to do so. • When judging safety, use common sense. Does the player need an ice pack or an ambulance. For the latter, call time right away. • Remember, time creates a dead ball

23 How Little League is Different from Major League Baseball • Pre-game equipment safety check • Small diamond • No leading off • No balks • No head-first slides (you’re out!) • Time limits • Continuous batting order • Rec ball minimum play rules • Pitch count limits for arm safety • AAA only: encouraging balls in play (some leagues)

24 • Bats • Baseball: USA Bat logo for aluminum or composite only, or a wood bat; 2 5/8" diameter or less; 33” or less in length • Softball: BPF 1.20 or wood, 2 1/4" diameter, 33” or less in length Pregame: • No dents or splits in bats • Illegal bat must be removed from play VISUALLY • No bat rings (aka, bat donuts)! Check player • Batting helmets: look for cracks • Catcher’s gear equipment • Mask with dangling throat guard • Uniforms • Baseball pitchers can’t have white sleeves showing; Softball pitchers can’t have yellow sleeves showing • Jewelry: no watches, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, etc. Please tape down religious and medical jewelry.

25 Encouraging Balls in Play: Special for AAA (RNLL and RWLL) • No Stealing Home • Once a pitch starts, the offense can only score a run as a result of a batted ball or being forced in • 3 Walk Limit • Each half inning can have a maximum of 3 walks • If another walk is issued, an offensive coach-pitcher steps in to pitch • The count stands and the batter can strike out but not walk or HBP • Kid pitcher resumes pitching for next at bat

26 Arbiter system – home page

#1: District 9

#2: self-assign and review your schedule

#3: Contact info for other umps

#4: Insert mobile and recognizable photo

#5: check box

#6: message from D9 umps Arbiter: self-assign

#1: Self-assign

#2: Filter by site: RWLL uses Hartman Park; KNLL uses Big Finn Hill, Juanita Beach, 132nd Square

#3: Can also filter by date

#4: Tournaments only Arbiter: see your schedule with calendar

#1: Filter: next 30 days

#2: click apply Arbiter: see your schedule, partner

#1: Filter: show all

#2: Each game has a #

#3: choose plate (HP) or bases

See field, home (3rd base dugout) and away (1st base dugout) teams Complete volunteer form, background check by the time you start doing games

Field training Saturday, March 20th • Face Covering • Noon-2 at Hartman 6 (new) • Bring water • 2pm-4pm at Hartman 6 (returning) • Stretch • Bring umpire hat (and Cage mask if you have it) • You’ll receive umpire shirt Appendix and Extras

• Bats, rule 1.10: wood or BPF 1.20, 2 1/4" diameter, 34” or less in length • Batter’s box: it’s longer and extends closer to pitcher than in baseball. • Bunt: once offering to bunt, the batter must pull the bat back before the ball reaches the plate • Ball: yellow and 3 different sizes based on level of play. • Double first base: • When there’s a play on the BR at 1st base, the BR must use the colored side. • When there’s not a play on the BR, she may use either side. • Delivery of pitch, rule 8.01: pitcher must show the ball, and cannot hop (back foot should drag on the ground). • Runner’s leaving base early, rule 7.08 (a) (5) • AAA-Coast, the ball must be batted or reach the batter; Majors and above, when the pitcher release the ball • If BR leaves early, immediate deal ball (no pitch), call “time.” The runner is out. • Runners commit to a base, rule 7.08 (a): Runners must commit to a direction (advance or retreat). If they commit to advance, they do not need to stop at the next base as long as they do not stop. Stopping or changing direction in the absence of a play being attempted on the runner is indecision and the runner is out. RWLL appendix

See RWLL Local Playing Rules https://www.redwestll.org/documents Run limits for RWLL

• In AAA/Coast baseball and softball • 5 runs per inning: if the offense scores 5 runs before committing 3 outs in innings 1-5, then the inning is over. The scorekeeper will tell the umpire if 5 runs have been scored. No run limit in the 6th inning. • 10-run rule for game: if the home team is winning by 10 runs after 3.5 innings completed, or the visitor team is winning by 10 runs after 4 complete innings, then the game is over. • 15-run rule for game: if the home team is winning by 15 runs after 2.5 innings completed, or the visitor team is winning by 15 runs after 3 complete innings, then the game is over. Time limits for RWLL • No new inning may start after 2 hours and the game must be stopped at 2 hours and 15 minutes, except as noted below. • The scorekeeper shall record the official start time of the current game, and may notify the plate umpire at the precise moment that time limits are reached if requested by the plate umpire. A new inning begins at the moment the third out is made on the home team. • MAJORS / COAST - Time limits shall not apply when there is no following game. On fields with lights, time limits shall apply even when there is no following game if the game is played on a weeknight (Sun-Thurs) and the scheduled starting time of the game is after 6:30 p.m. • AAA - No new inning will start after 2 hours. With no game following, the last inning may be played until completion. • The final inning may have unlimited runs scored for both teams if the plate umpire declares an inning prior to the 6th inning the final inning. [Note: This is an umpire decision, not a manager discussion.] • All teams: Tuesday/Thursday games schedule for 5:00pm on Hartman #5 and Harman #6 will be played as follows: No new inning may begin after 7:00pm; Drop dead at 7:10pm. At 7:15pm the teams must immediately leave the fields. Complete a volunteer form / background check www.redwestll.org/background-check