| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Baserunning | 10/21/2009 |
Q: Please help! With runners at first and second, the ball is hit to the third baseman. R2 advances ...
A: I totally agree w/ you. All runners have to be "put out" or they are safe by rule. The only ...
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| Balk rule interpretation | 10/3/2009 |
Q: Left handed pitcher, runner on first: After the pitcher comes to a set position he lifts his right ...
A: ...If I am working the game, I woulod certainly call a balk. There is no pause or hesitation ...
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| Umpire call reversals | 10/1/2009 |
Q: I am President of the Royal Belgian Baseball & Softball Federation (www.frbbs.be). I would have ...
A: ....Umpire's Rule #1 - Get the call right. That's the bottom line. First issue - The call was ...
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| obstruction at first base | 9/9/2009 |
Q: I am an assistant coach on my son's little league team and I saw a scary play this evening at first ...
A: Well, I may have missed something here.....First, you stated the the collision happened AFTER the FB ...
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| Baseball Throwing | 8/30/2009 |
Q: right now im 15 about 5'8 and play third and second base. Now i have been training with weights ...
A: Whew....way to much to respond to in this forum.....I would have to see you in person to cover & ...
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| rules | 8/7/2009 |
Q: I have 2 questions about rules. The first is: on a dropped third strike and with first open, a ...
A: First situation....A dropped third strike is still considered a "force out" so the run would not ...
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| close call at second | 7/30/2009 |
Q: recently a friend told me that if there is a force at second and the ball is thrown to the 2nd ...
A: No such thing as a "phantom call".....A base runner must be tagged out via the base or personally by ...
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| Umpire Interference | 7/10/2009 |
Q: My son is 12 and plays shortstop in youth baseball leagues with 70 foot basepaths and stealing. ...
A: He can ask but we are not obligated to move as we are taught specific areas so we can be in the best ...
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| Determining the losing pitcher in a high school baseball game | 7/1/2009 |
Q: Who is the losing pitcher from this game? Pitcher A pitches innings one and two, complete. The ...
A: You going to be the one who ticks off the coach? Sometimes, you just pick your battles.....This ...
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| Determining the losing pitcher in a high school baseball game | 7/1/2009 |
Q: Who is the losing pitcher from this game? Pitcher A pitches innings one and two, complete. The ...
A: Pitcher #1 is the loser..... 10.17 Winning And Losing Pitcher (d) A losing pitcher is a pitcher ...
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| ball thrown out of play | 6/27/2009 |
Q: 13U baseball Runners on 2nd and 3rd batter attempts a safety squeeze runner on 3rd gets back ...
A: I am assuming into dead ball territory.....If the ball was thrown by an outfielder, then he is ...
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| Player Balk | 6/26/2009 |
Q: I am a 9U coach, and not a baseball expert. We play under Official Baseball Rules (not High School ...
A: Excellent question & one that most umpires miss....Congrats to this one who has obviously been to a ...
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| age group | 6/22/2009 |
Q: I thought you might have some insight so I wanted to pick your brain on this. My son is 9 and ...
A: Well I do not personanlly know your son or his playing ability. However, my first tendency is to ...
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| Batter's interference | 6/17/2009 |
Q: We play 12u baseball using MLB rules with slight modifications that don't apply here. The play: ...
A: The batter's box always belongs to the batter. As long as he is in there, no interferance....None ...
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| Base runner advancement on dead ball | 6/15/2009 |
Q: I saw this today in 12U game. Runner on first, no outs. Batter hits fly ball to left field which ...
A: WOW, great question...... Once the ball becomes dead, he is awarded TWO bases because the ball was ...
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| Bat sizes requirements in Junior High | 6/14/2009 |
Q: My son is going into 7th grade this fall and I was wondering if there are any bat size requirements ...
A: The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS.org)governs all rules in all sports in the US....It ...
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| base running | 6/10/2009 |
Q: I have heard 2 different answers to this. Can a runner on first base return to first base if the ...
A: Yes.....Once the batter runner is out, then 1B becomes "open" for example the 1B man tags first then ...
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| standing at home plate | 6/9/2009 |
Q: I have a son who plays little league and when he stands at home plate,to bat, he sets his front ...
A: Not on how far back, but you said behind the plate....That's a 17" area reserved for the pitcher & ...
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| force out | 6/2/2009 |
Q: but is the glove alone considered part of the body - even if the ball is not in the glove hand? We ...
A: #1 stop looking on the internet....Find & read an actual rule book. All rules books say that the ...
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| Batter Interference | 5/30/2009 |
Q: Andrew- Here is the situation in a Babe Ruth game. There is a right handed batter with a runner on ...
A: The batter's box always belongs to the batter....He can do anything he wishes as long as he stays in ...
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| Overrules by a Home Plate Umpire | 5/26/2009 |
Q: In a little league game, with a runner on first, a ground ball is it to the shortstop. The SS opts ...
A: No, as a veteran ump myself, I would appreciate & expect my partner to assist in getting the call ...
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| LEFT PICK OFF MOVE | 5/26/2009 |
Q: My son is a 13 year left handed pitcher. He was called for a balk the other day while "reading" the ...
A: Yes, the rule book says the pitcher must move "in a continuous motion in delivering the ...
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| Walk and dead ball | 5/23/2009 |
Q: Rules 7.11 and 7.09(c) address Offensive Interference. I am interested in plays at the plate ...
A: OK, I may have confused you & myself here.....Walks are dead ball in NFHS (high school)...others are ...
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| umpire mistakes | 5/22/2009 |
Q: Bases loaded with 2 out and batter swings and misses pitch when umpire calls batter out (strike ...
A: If it was the umpire's actual fault, then neither team should be penalized.....Redo & move on..... ...
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| winning pitcher of little league game | 5/22/2009 |
Q: Used three pitchers. First pitcher pitched 3 inn leaving tied 1-1. Next pitcher pitched 3 inn with ...
A: The winning pitcher is always the pitcher of record when you went ahead of the opposing team....So ...
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| Rules | 5/20/2009 |
Q: If there is a guy occupying first base and there is a guy on third base, all with two outs, and the ...
A: He either has to tag the batter out or throw to first base to get the out. It's not automatic, the ...
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| Swinging strike | 5/20/2009 |
Q: If a pitcher throws a ball that hits the ground about 8 ft from the plate rolls and the batter ...
A: Yes, any time a batter swings at a pitch & misses, it is an out. By the same token, had the batter ...
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| Manager pulls own player for behavior | 5/18/2009 |
Q: Andrew, I asked the question below to another expert, but I had a follow up question, and this ...
A: Well number one, I strongly disagree w/ the previous answerer.... Any decent manager better pull an ...
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| Batter interference | 5/18/2009 |
Q: Rules 7.11 and 7.09(c) address Offensive Interference. I am interested in plays at the plate ...
A: No, remember, walks or base on balls is a dead ball situation. The runners can only advance one ...
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| Batter interference | 5/18/2009 |
Q: Rules 7.11 and 7.09(c) address Offensive Interference. I am interested in plays at the plate ...
A: The batter's box always belongs to the batter..always. He can never be called for interferance as ...
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| force or not at 1st base | 5/17/2009 |
Q: my son was playing first base. batter hits the ball up in the air, son catches ball then drops, ...
A: Very good question, very good umpire.....Take the "foot" out of the equation for a moment. What if ...
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| Runs | 5/13/2009 |
Q: I am a coach of an 8th grade baseball team. In a game last night there was 1 out runners on 2nd and ...
A: Well, there is no rule specifically in this situation, but place yourself as the coach of the ...
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| Youth Pitching | 5/12/2009 |
Q: I have three boys and my oldest is ten. He plays little league and I notice that he and every other ...
A: As a 17 year veteran coach of highly touted select teams, if I saw anyone throw off speed stuff ...
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| Pitching Change/Coach | 5/7/2009 |
Q: During a pitching change, I stayed out on the mound and discussed the situation with the new pitcher ...
A: Even though there is not official rule for you to return to the dugout after the change, it's a ...
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| behind the plate calls | 5/5/2009 |
Q: I'm a long-time scorekeeper. While sitting up close but high above the guys at the plate, I cannot ...
A: The pitch called for tells the catcher where to set up on the plate. The umpire then sets to the ...
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| Official Scoring - Calculation of Batting Avg with RISP | 4/27/2009 |
Q: Runner at first base. Batter takes two strikes. Runner steals second. Batter takes third strike. Is ...
A: Yes, has nothing to do w/ runners.....The only time no time at bat is counted is a base on balls or ...
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| Scoring Error | 4/16/2009 |
Q: My catcher make a throw in an attempt to prevent a stolen base, and the runner is safe, the second ...
A: Based on your note, I see the short stop is credited w/ one error, however, it's a two base ...
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| Runner hit by batted ball | 4/9/2009 |
Q: Little League, AAA Minors (IF it matters) Runner hit by a batted ball. In what situation is the ...
A: The bottom line is if the runner is hit by a batted ball BEFORE a fielder has a chance to make a ...
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| batters interference | 4/8/2009 |
Q: Runner on 3rd attempts to score on a wild pitch. The batter is backing out of the batters box to ...
A: There does not have to be any actual contact, (e.g. catcher throwing to second & batter interferes ...
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| Who gets the run? | 4/1/2009 |
Q: How do you determine which pitcher gets the run when a pitcher comes in in the middle of an inning? ...
A: The pitcher that is responsible for a specific runner on base is the charged pitcher.... Example: ...
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| Base running question | 3/31/2009 |
Q: In our recreational league, I had a player hit a home run (out of the park), and as he rounded the ...
A: You are correct....In all levels from little league to high school to college & the pros, once a ...
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| throwing arm | 3/29/2009 |
Q: im a catcher for my high school, im a junior on the varsity squad im a decent blocker but i still ...
A: The best way to improve both arms are the proper stretching excercises. It's not necessarily the ...
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| High School Baseball | 3/26/2009 |
Q: Is the drop third strike still in play with two outs bases loaded
A: Two outs & a dropped thrid strike is a playabler situation no matter who is on base. Gotta run it ...
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| Fielders Choice | 3/25/2009 |
Q: Runner is on second base. Batter hits the ball slowly to third baseman, runner at second trys to ...
A: The batter runner gets credit for a hit only if he would have gotten a hit beyond the shadow of a ...
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| RUNNING OVER THE CATCHER | 3/23/2009 |
Q: I coach 10 and under baseball. Our local recreation department does not have a must slide rule at ...
A: #1...No one has a "must slide rule" in any level, it does not exist. #2...You can never "legally ...
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| pitching adjustments | 3/22/2009 |
Q: My son is 12 and in the 7th grade, he's a pitcher for Middle School, 6,7, & 8 grade. (60-90 field). ...
A: #1...Most state associations will not allow you to play for a rec team while you are engaged in ...
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| throwing arm | 3/21/2009 |
Q: im a catcher for my high school, im a junior on the varsity squad im a decent blocker but i still ...
A: You lost me when you said you are a catcher & a decent blocker. Seems you went from baseball to ...
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| 1st Base Obstruction | 3/16/2009 |
Q: This is a followup to another question on the same subject. I am a Little League AA Division coach. ...
A: Definition: Obstruction is an act, intentional or unintentional, as well as physical or verbal, by a ...
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| catching | 3/6/2009 |
Q: hey i have a question about a strong throwing arm. I've bought 2 weighted baseballs one i bought ...
A: You feel no difference because a "regular" game ball is actually nine ounces in middle through ...
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| Gloves for pitchers | 3/5/2009 |
Q: I want to order a Mizuno MVP Prime Series Infield Pitchers Glove 11.50 and i am worried that i ...
A: NFHS Rule 1 Article 6: The glove worn by the pitcher that includes the colors white and gray shall ...
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| Throwing Arm Issues | 2/25/2009 |
Q: I have a 16 year old son who from 12-14 was a pitcher/catcher. I tried preventing the dual actions ...
A: I do not apologize for my answers....I assume you wanted the truth & my opinion or you would not ...
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| baseball | 2/21/2009 |
Q: Im 19 yrs old, 6'1 and weight about 180. I throw about 85 now and was wondering if there is ...
A: Nutrition & food intake is the first item to consider believe it or not......Find you a good local ...
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