5:45 Actual exchange between me and catcher in my first ever college wood bat development league game this year. First pitch to the first batter of the game - High in the zone, but should have been called: *Me:* Ball _(instant regret)_ _Catcher looks up at me a bit surprised._ Second pitch - Ground out directly to 1B. (Thank God.) Before next batter gets to the plate: *Catcher:* Hey, was that first pitch too far up for you? *Me:* No, it was just a shit call. *Catcher laughing:* I thought you looked a bit pissed after that one. I'll see if I can get another one up there for you so you can set the record straight. Having a good catcher who gets it is absolutely invaluable.
I remember one time I was working the plate. The pitcher was consistently an inch or two outside and the manager was screaming at me. Finally, the catcher says, just loud enough for me and the batter, "Damn, he really can't tell what's outside from there, can he?"
@@eauhomme I love catchers like that. Or if the coach asks, "Where was that?" and he says, "It was out." and totally has your back. My favorite was a game where I was definitely not settled in, and was calling it a tad low. Around the 4th -- too late for me to do anything about it -- the batters are irritated with me. After some grumbling by the offense's dugout the catcher looks over and says to them, "It's been there all day and hasn't moved. If you can't figure it out by now then that's on you." I was thankful for him, even though I was irritated at myself.
I’ve been umpiring for 22 years and I always apologize between innings if I believe in retrospect I missed a call.. Ego is the worst thing an Umpire can have I have a few of my closest calls from last season on my channel. Thankfully I got all of them correct
The only time it's safe to "apologize" is when the game is either NOT important or NOT close. Sure, I've told some hitters after a called strike, "Sorry, man. That was probably a bit low." The kids are usually gracious about my mistake and often say something like, "No problem." But, believe me, if the team at-bat was in the bottom of the 7th and losing 2-1 in a regional elimination game, with the tying run on base, I wouldn't "apologize" for a bad strike call - not in *that* situation.
Never apologize. It's a given that we don't get 100% of our calls right. It's okay to look a little angered or glum after missed call, to drop your head for a split second - but it's more important to remain professional, calm, and consistent, and not let a missed call impact any of your future calls. While normally, I'd say a failure to apologize is too much machismo, there's really no excuse to be having discussions with coaches about judgment calls during the course of a live game.
First of all, I am enjoying going through your videos of actual events that occurred in games. I am an umpire and it's interesting to watch other umpires doing things right and wrong. At 6:20, the fans are shouting out pitch location and you say that it should be "shut down." But, by whom? The umpire? Never! It's always a bad idea for an umpire to get confrontational with the fans. At high school games, there is always a field administrator (a representative of the school) who is in charge of order at the game venue. Even a field complex has somebody who is in charge. The umpire keeps order *inside* the fence and the field administrator keeps order *outside* the fence. If the umpire needs to address fan behavior, he should deal with the field administrator - not the fan. Sometimes the "field administrator" is the home team manager. In any case, umpires should not directly confront or eject fans. Besides, although very Bush League, calling out pitch location is not what I would consider as "crossing the line" as far a fan behavior goes. The catcher should set up later so that any information from the fans is either distracting or coming too late. How is this any different from a runner at 2nd base signaling the pitch location to the batter - which is not illegal? One thing I see a lot as an umpire is the catcher setting up *WAY* outside when the count is 0-2. I've *never* seen a batter chase that pitch and strike out. First of all, the catcher usually sets up way too early and the batter can actually *see* the catcher out there. It's a waste of a pitch, in my opinion. The pitcher would be better off breaking off a low curveball or setting the batter up with a fast ball over the plate but ABOVE his hands - then come back with a curveball - changing his "eye level." In high level baseball (MLB and college) you never see catchers setting up like this on an 0-2 count. Oftentimes, the pitcher goes after the hitter in three straight pitches. The batter is expecting something tricky with an 0-2 count and the pitcher challenges him by blasting a fastball right past him.
9:15 - where is the batter interference here? The batter bunts the ball and takes off towards 1B, not coming even close to the catcher. The only thing I can think of is that the batted ball hit the runner. Why was the call made?
You're right about being in the right spot to make a call. It goes a long way toward avoiding controversy. Back in the days when I was both coaching HS baseball and umpiring youth ball we had a HS scrimmage game where a quality veteran umpire was guiding two newer umpires. Our half inning ended on a very close play at 1B with the newer umpire getting the call right but from a bad spot. As I was walking back towards the dugout from the 1B coaches box the veteran umpire pointed at me and said to the new guy: "See that guy? If you make that call from that position when the game counts he's going to be inside your shirt, even if you got the call right." Truer words were never spoken by an umpire.
Concerning the balk sequence starting at 5:10, I also can't see anything, but from the reaction of the field umpire it seems to me he might be showing that the pitcher separated his hands and put them back together again. That would definitely be something you won't see from this camera angle, but it would be a legitimate balk.
Constantly amazed coaches with the lead and hitting have no idea how much time is left could run the clock out on offense. Last night I had to listen to a coach tell me the picture has to pause if he's out of the stretch whether there's runners or not. We had obstruction last night which my partner called the coach argued he didn't mean to these are on travel select teams where you think that coaches would have some idea what the hell they're doing
Batter interference is probably something I miss the most also. It usually happens so fast. These are good videos that I learn from. Hopefully I never end up in your videos :)
LOL # 8 was a start/stop balk, good call, though pretty minor movement for High School, the balk around 6:10 was his slight hesitation before completing the pitch. Though maybe he didnt with hi spitching arm.
10:41 - "by a whole step blue!" wtf? that's about as bang-bang as any call gets. I've got him safe, so good call, but sell that call blue (yellow?) - step into it, make it big, "SAFE!"
6:00 Any natural motion associated with his delivery of the ball to the batter commits him to the pitch without alteration or interruption. This was both an alteration and an interruption.
For batters interference, 1 was but thats a tough call to make, 2 was for sure the most obvious one, because he was so far in the way with no good reason. His team absolutely gained an unfair advantage by the batter getting in the way. 3 and 4 probably were not because the batter hardly moved, but 5 was because the batter moved right into the catchers throwing lane.
When you’re at time limit like that, you don’t tell the catcher to go talk to the pitcher. You got to be slicker then that. You say you got dirt in your eye, brush the plate off necessary or not, tie your shoes fake an injury. Anything but to be as obvious as tell the father hey go kill some time lol
@@davej3781 Oh, I agree he stopped. I was just trying to find the rationale for why it would have been called. One of the guys I work with is an absolute Nazi on coming set, to the point that it's really irritating. I thought maybe one of these guys was like that.
I remember once a partner of mine called a balk. The coach asked "what'd he do?" The umpire paused, then said, "I don't know, but it sure was ugly!" I once had a left-hander do the fake-third/throw-first move. Ugliest thing I ever saw on a field. Took everything I had to keep from calling it a balk (at the time, the 3-1 move was legal).
2:24 - U1, why is your back to the fielder and ball? ball hit to your right, step up with your right foot, turn with the ball as it passes and open to the play; once you see the fielder committing to 1B, drop step and cross over to move towards the 1BL 45' to open the angle on the play, still eyes on the fielder until you see a good throw. CHEST TO BALL.
On the batter interference calls, i think the catcher should intentionally make obvious contact with the batter and ditch the throw. By doing this, the batter wilk get called out and the runner will be sent back to the base they were stealing from.
Hi. Is that really a bad call at 4:43? Didn't the batter hit a curving hit just outside the 3rd base? He had the line of sight---not the camera angle. Thanks.
@@ToadHallPub Yes. I can tell from this video. That's what makes video so amazing. You can rewatch, slow down, pause, zoom in. Truly spectacular technology nowadays.
8:32 pardon my french, but 1 foot to the right of the mound and throw actually at 12 o clock with the pitchers head literally facing the ground is a called a wild pitch in my eyes, but was actually hit
At 4:30 the pitcher is called for a balk, apparently because he turned his shoulders toward 1st without making a play. However, the pitcher had not yet come set. I thought the pitcher was free to turn his shoulders PRIOR to coming set. AFTER he comes set, he cannot turn his shoulders like that. I would not have called a balk on that. In fact, I see that all the time.
@@MJHBaseball That *used* to be illegal. I think NFHS removed the "gorilla arm" prohibition a few years ago. This year, they got rid of the "hybrid" stance prohibition and better defined what constitutes the wind-up and set position.
@@MJHBaseball Prior to coming set, the rule book states that the pitcher's pitching arm must be either at his side or behind his back. The PURPOSE of this rule is so that the runners can clearly see WHEN the pitcher comes set. There are some pitchers who hide their pitching arm in front of their body (from the runner on 1st). Then they come to a very subtle, low set position. The runner on 1st cannot tell WHEN the pitcher actually comes set - and that's because he can't see his pitching arm. When a pitcher uses the "gorilla arm," I guess one could say that his arm is not behind his back nor at his side. Nonetheless, EVERYBODY can see the pitcher's arm and it's always very clear WHEN the pitcher comes set. Besides, one could argue that the "gorilla arm" *is* at the pitcher's side. If the pitcher kept his arm still and stood up straight, then the "gorilla arm" would no longer be a "gorilla arm." It's only a "gorilla arm" because he is bent over so severely. Yes, this has been removed from the rules. I'm guessing about 4 years ago, maybe more.
I had an issue umpiring last year during a timed tournament as shown in this video. I started an inning with 1 minute remaining on the clock and the team who was winning got upset about this even though the rules stated that an inning can not be started after the allotted time which it was 1 minute before the allotted time when the 1st pitch of the inning was thrown. The team who was winning going into the inning won anyways but I could have easily just waited 1 minute and called the game but the rules are the rules.
Timed games can sometimes be a HUGE problem. The game of baseball was not designed to be played on a clock. Nowhere in the rules does it say anything about a game being timed like a basketball or football game. It's an artificiality that has been injected into the game - usually to facilitate the timeliness of subsequent games on the same field in tournaments.
@@DavidEmerling79 yea but that was a 10u tournament so they are always timed let alone we had 3 fields teams were playing on with 3 different umpiring crews and I still umped at least 5 games that day
The new inning begins the very second the final out occurs of the previous inning. Time cannot expire between innings unless the team that is in the lead is coming to bat in the BOTTOM of the inning.
3:07, that would (for me) have been batter out and ejected. Interference for the out, which probably would have gotten the argument leading to ejection. 6:52, batter out, runner goes back, mom ejected, sign stealing.
6:20 Just started seeing this kind of not so fair play last season when my son hit 12U. I usually sit somewhere behind the backstop fence as I'm in charge of game changer. There was a parent doing this same thing. I relayed it to our coaches. Our HC talks with the ump between batters to inform him. Parent starts calling catcher movement for the next batter. Ump calls time and walks over the parent and kindly informs them that if they do that again they will be asked to leave the park. Surprisingly the HC of that team got really upset about this and was almost ejected.
That's funny. I typically tell parents if I warn them that if they keep it up they will be restricted to watching past 1st or 3rd base. It's usually the pitcher's dad or mom, so they get worked up. I'd rather keep them at their kids game since their child is a minor, but if they can't control themselves after moving, I'd eject. I've never had to do anything other than give a warning and that only a couple times.
I rarely called out the parent directly. I usually would call time, motion for the coach to come see me, and talk out of view, asking the coach to control his parents. That usually worked, as the coach would go talk to the parent afterward.
@@eauhomme Yeah, I almost always attempt to manage parents through the coaches first. Coaches usually have a bit more rapport with the parents. If this doesn't work, then I'll take care of it myself.
I thought - and maybe I'm wrong - that a balk is called when in the umpire's judgment the pitcher is trying to deke a baserunner. I realize there are technical aspects to it as well, but my understanding was that the intent has to be there as well.
intent is not required otherwise umpires would need to be mind readers. Certain aspect of the pitch MUST be called a balk no matter what. It is true, that the balk rule is intended to prevent the pitcher from deceiving the runner, but there is a long list of pitcher actions that must be called a balk. For example. The pitcher is on the pitcher plate in the windup position. He then steps back off the plate with the wrong foot (not the pivot foot) to switch to pitch from the stretch. This MUST be called a balk even though most of the time the pitcher is simply switching how he wants to pitch. Or dropping the ball while engaged with the rubber. Or starting to pitch and stopping because his foot gets stuck and he trips. All of which have nothing to do with intent to deke a runner. They are still balks.
There's a whole laundry list of balks. Some of them deal with trying to deceive runners (e.g. a left-hander who steps towards home but throws to 1st), others have nothing to do with trying to deceive runners (e.g. dropping the ball while engaged with the rubber.) There are lots of legal things a pitcher can do to deceive runners (e.g. the "inside move" with a runner on 2nd and the fake-to-3rd and throw-to-1st move)
9:14 Is the batter runner called for interference because of where he laid the bat down? Or just by running towards 1st where his path happens to be in front of the catchers motion to field the ball?
9:15 - why is BR being called out? if the ball hit his bat after it bounced off the ground, that's a foul ball because he's still in the box. otherwise I'm not seeing anything here
@@MH-Tesla presumably PU heard and/or saw something that made him think the ball hit BR's helmet, but the video appears to refute that. sounds like you have a good and ambitious plan in place. If you've not already, I highly recommend you and the other UIC's and top guys seek out training at your LL Regional HQ; out here at west region they have excellent training.
@@davej3781 I looked again and went frame by frame. The ball bounces then goes straight up. It disappears behind the helmet and the next 2 or 3 frames the ball is clearly moving more towards 1st base than it should be without contact. Since the ball's expected movement is changed only after it disappears behind the helmet, one must conclude that the ball made contact with the batter after he left the batter's box. As far as the SHADOW is concerned, you need to remember this is 30 FPS. A lot can happen in 1/30th of a second. Even the shadow suddenly changes directions. I think it's definitive after seeing the frame by frame on a computer and not a cell phone. And of course knowing this is of utmost importance...not many things more important these days than knowing the truth about a call in a baseball game!
@@MH-Tesla I'm not seeing any change in the movement at all, nor any change in the shadow. and yes, I am watching at 1080p on a 28" screen. but PU heard or saw something that elicited the call, so maybe it did hit somehow
The ball hit the bill of the runner's helmet after bouncing on the ground. Since he was already out of the batter's box, that is an out. Runner's Interference. He's out and other runners are returned to the bases they were on at the time of the pitch.
I don't know if you're implying that the last pitch of this video was a "make up call" and a ball. that pitch was 100% a strike. you can even hear an onlooker saying something about "that curve." just because the batter moves doesn't mean it was a bad pitch.
2:30 - rundown, better for PU to take this rundown from outside; being inside on this could get messy. yes, clearly missed obstruction, automatic award of home. however, the obstruction was a bit thin, if PU wanted to say "in my judgment he wasn't actually hindered", I wouldn't necessarily call for his head
Unfortunately most umpires won't learn from these mistakes because of foolish pride or ego. They all need more training with all the rule changes each year. Also knowing the different rules from different leagues
At 6:50, the commentator says that calling pitches by a spectator "should be shut down". Where in the rules does it say so? And why don't the pitcher and catcher use it to their advantage?
You mean by having the catcher set up to receive the pitch and the pitcher throwing it somewhere else? Also in many leagues this would still be illegal if a runner on second tried to relay the catcher's position. Absolutely unfair to allow someone outside of the 9 active players to do so, even in Houston.
8:32 that is NOT the way a catch and transfer should be called. While the umpire did a good job signaling the out, he erred in signaling the transfer horizontally, mimicking a safe call. Transfer call should be vertical.
Rule 8.05 note: Umpires should bare in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpires mind, the "intent" of the pitcher should govern. Page 155 in the 2022 rule book.
Hard to get interference on example 5. IMO catcher has to make a better attempt at the throw. Rule says he only has to attempt but that, for me, wouldn’t have got called. Also, MJH, work on your “ball thrown into dead ball area” rules. All of them are timing. All are two base awards (except thrown from the pitchers plate). One for you: R1, and BR are both between 1 and 2nd when the ball is thrown into dead ball area by the center fielder. What are the base awards?
are you sure you know the ball thrown into DBT rules? because what MJH explained on the play starting at 7:00 was absolutely correct the answer to your scenario is 2 bases from the base legally acquired at the time of throw; in this case R1 gets 3B and BR gets only 2B because this type of award can't force a preceding runner to advance beyond his awarded base so BR can't be awarded 2 bases here.
so when the runner is stealing third the batted must stay in the box the catchers are not going around the batter so that's why all of that is a problem the 5th on was batter interference.
Catcher has to throw the ball for batter interference. Also, the batter has a right to the box, as long as they don’t move in the box, no interference.
BI...1:07 = yes, 1:18 = yes, 1:29 = no, 1:43 = no, 1:53 = perhaps, 3B BI are tougher than 2B 2:15 agree with comment about positioning, but coaches and fans don't know what our position is supposed to be?, if you hustle, hustle, hustle, ya less grief from coaches 2:36 not OBS, fielder gave him space to run, runner altered his route slightly, but didn't have to or wasn't forced to 4:17 don't agree with the "pre pitch IF" as you call it, in this case, happens all the time, a slight tap and catcher had plenty of time to reset. 5:20, this is a had to be there, but perhaps there was some slight swaying by F1 after he was set, not enough for me though. 5:36, you say obvious strike, don't know U1's zone was for that game, but ya in and out looked pretty good, but up and down definitely crossed above the belt, but don't know his tolerance in that game 9:20, yes correct enforcement of his B/R IF call but I don't see IF there, the ball did not appear to touch the BR, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as he was right there. 10:24, ya he's out of the box and should be out, but this is almost never called, I've called it a couple of times in my career, on easy calls, and got holy hell from the coach, not that it matters, but almost nobody will ever notice if you don't call this. 10:57, this was so obvious, was not even close, gotta nail F1 on that, surprised that batter said nothing
Great responses.... 4:17 - This is called "back swing interference" in NFHS, but "back swing" is often confused with "follow through" and different rule books use these terms differently. On an earlier video a commenter mentioned he uses the term "pre-swing interference" to simplify the confusion which is why I used that term in this video. I like it. Here is the NFHS rule book on "back swing interference." NFHS now defines backswing interference as when a batter contacts the catcher or his equipment prior to the time of the pitch (2-21-5). If a batter, during his preliminary loosening-up swings, or when he cocks the bat to swing, hits the catcher or the catcher’s mitt, the umpire should immediately call time, and not interference. The pitch or swing should not be allowed since the batter’s concentration or rhythm could be affected (NFHS 8.1.1F, NCAA 8-2e AR, OBR 5.05b3 Comment 3).
@@mariovercillo1319 it's a rule at all levels.. in OBR it's a comment on CI (5.05(b)(3)), not a distinct rule: "If the catcher interferes with the batter before the pitcher delivers the ball, it shall not be considered interference on the batter under Rule 5.05(b)(3). In such cases, the umpire shall call “Time” and the pitcher and batter start over from “scratch.”"
@@davej3781 maybe so, but do you call time every time the batter lightly touches, or nicks, the catcher's glove with his bat? it happens every game, or multiple times a game
@@mariovercillo1319 you use judgment as to when a full time call is needed (rare), or putting up one hand (sometimes), or nothing (commonly). I think you're exaggerating more than a bit to say it happens every game, multiple times a game... that's some weird baseball you're doing. I doubt I see the batter contact the catcher pre-pitch more than once in a month.
If the batter's leaving the box, that's a problem. Catcher shouldn't have to maneuver around the batter to make a play unless the batter's where he's supposed to be.
There's no wording in the NFHS rulebook about "deception" - if a coach/player ever asks you about it, or about the pitcher's intent - let them know we call balks based on mechanics only, and not the intent or effect or their actions, for which NFHS rules do not give us any grounds for interpretation or judgment. That said, it can help soothe an angry coach by simply stating that "no one was deceived, nor did anyone attempt to deceive another player; I did not see a balk, so I did not call one." Great video, but be careful about making rulings on "deception"! We don't know what this is under NFHS rules!
For the batter interference - I'd say no to 2, yes to 3 and 4, and no to 5. The last one was not because the batter made an attempt to clear out of the box and out of the catcher's way into foul territory, as he should have. He could not have anticipated the catcher moving back as well.
Actually the batter should not move at all. Any movement that ends up interfering with the throw is what will be called. Just staying still and not moving at all can not be interference on a throw to 3rd by the catcher. The batter is NOT expected to disappear so the catcher can make a throw. Anytime a runner on 2nd steals 3rd, the batter, after offering at the pitch (or not swinging) should not move at all. Spectators often say, "He needs to get out of the way," or, "Next time hit the batter in the ear." They are wrong. Rule 6.06 (c) "The batter is out for illegal action when interfering with the catcher's ... throwing by *stepping out of the batter's box, or, making any other movement* that hinders the catcher's action at home plate or the catcher's attempt to make a play on a runner..."
On the first play, the Plate Umpire is in the infield while runners are touching home. He needs to stay back, let his Field Umpire take the calls in the field, and make certain players are touching home plate. On the second play, that is interference. It is not often called, but it is clearly interference, it should be called, and you can bet someone isn't going to like it. The next play is interference, to9, (not called, and the play after that is "questionable." I probably wouldn't call that one, but I would warn the batter that I could have. On the next play, you can hear the throw hit the bat. That's interference even though the batter was in the box because the batter is moving. If he held his ground, I wouldn't call the interference. These calls require judgment. A lot of players aren't taught the batter's box rule, and most don't really know it. Enforcing the batter's box rule cuts down on these questionable calls needing judgment. On the gorilla arm ball, the first time I see it, I stop play, and warn the pitcher. A lot of time they do not know. That is usually enough to stop that. Also, if he does it again, he knows it, and understands when the balk is called. I've made the wrong call several times. Sometimes you can fix it, and sometimes you can't. When a ball is called "foul," everything stops, so you can't reverse that. If, however, you call it "fair," and it is "foul," that can be remedied, and reversed. On the questionable balk call, I say I would call that a balk, but I really don't know what I would do in a game. I do believe it is a balk because the stop/start motion is deceptive, whether he meant to or not. Runners will see him stop, and they will stop, too. If he does this particular motion on every pitch, I will not call it, but I'm guessing he doesn't work that way all the time. The keys here are deception, and usual motion. Umpires should never interfere to shorten a game. Give both teams equal chance to compete according to the rules. One thing they fail to mention here, and that I police myself is an umpire "getting tired." I can work five or six games in a day, but the truth is that I am best when I am freshest, and that's in the morning. I am best for about three games, and pushing it after four. I have found that I know what to do, but I tend to make bad calls, mistakes, or use poor judgment when I am hot, tired, and I haven't eaten in a while. The keys here are 1) Don't schedule too many game, 2) Drink a little bit between every inning. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated, and it's too late to catch up, 3) Take some kind of "easy-to-eat" food with you to nibble on between innings, and keep you blood sugar up. In tournaments, there usually isn't time between games to eat, or even change out equipment, let alone pee. Planning ahead helps, especially knowing where the bathrooms are for a quick run. I've had partners leave me alone during an inning to go to the port-o-let.
2:10 - play at the plate... good position, but way late getting there, still getting in position when the tag went down. that's why he missed the call.
BI - #1 - yes #2 - yes - PU's explanation for no calling BI is not valid. the catcher couldn't step into and properly complete his throw. #3 - yes #4 - yes - "but blue, he was in the box... KNOW THE RULE!!!!". yes, I do know the rule... NFHS 7-3-5c, OBR 6.03(a)(3) : "... or makes any other movement which hinders the catcher"; this is WELL accepted as batter interference at all levels, all rulesets. I will guarantee you that 100% of the time when a fan shouts "KNOW THE RULE!!!!" at an umpire, the fan does not know the rule. (note I'm not saying anyone actually said that in this video... just that's what "they" tend to say if you properly call BI on this) #5 - no - the catcher made no actual attempt at a play. it's not absolutely necessary to complete the throw, but if no throw is even attempted it is up to the umpire to determine why. in this case, clearly the correct interpretation is that F2 made no throw because he saw he had no play, R2 had the base stolen.
Disagree on #4. Batter didn't make any move at all. Catcher threw poorly and hit his bat. As a coach I'll teach batter's to duck on runners stealing 3rd so there's no question, but this batter is anything moves away from a good throw, not into one. Catcher needs to step back to clear a throwing lane, not attempt to throw through a batter... and you know me, I'm usually on the catcher's side.
@@MH-Tesla it doesn't matter whether the catcher should have done something different or better, what matters is that the batter moved and interfered with F2's throw. the only way the batter is clear from interference here is by NOT moving. he moved, quite a lot, and turned his bat into the throw. please trust me, this needs to be called interference. be careful teaching your batters to duck, unless they duck by dropping directly down with no other movement they may duck right into the throw... interference is interference even if the batter is trying not to interfere. standing still is always best
For better interference the catcher needs to sell it more… make it no chance that ball makes it to second and you’ll get the call.. I was taught to go through people and just play.. if they are truly in the way it will show but if you pull back to not hit them that’s your fault and I would not bail you out as an umpire
On the batter interference plays, 1), 2), 3) and 5) are must-calls. Ironically, play 4) is the only play where the hitter moves the least, and that's the play with contact. But the catcher can't throw right through the hitter, so no interference call in my opinion.
I don't think this is a balk. Pitcher did come set, discernible stop. He continued his motion once he started. As awkward as it looked, pitcher completed the pitch.
I want to know why the field umpires are watching the fly balls, when the runners are running. The plate umpires job to watch the fly ball, and the field umpires job to watch the runners touch the bases. If both umpires are watching the fly ball, then who is watching the runners?
Batter interference 3rd one for sure, batter cannot step out when a runner is stealing, luckily the catcher didn't collide with him which is why I think the umpire didn't call and interference
it's funny how many guys I see wearing Navy blue in your area. in my neck of the woods, NOBODY wears navy blue. I have one, and only one, Navy blue shirt, and I wear it only if I absolutely have to which is pretty much never (it's patched for little league too, that's the only place navy rears it's ugly blue head) also 7:00 - short sleeve navy shirt with black long-sleeve undershirt? ewww. just... no, ok? no. credit though for wearing a navy cap and ball bag (it's purple now, but it was navy awhile ago) with the navy shirt, but the black long sleeves ruin it
Baseball - Umpires shall wear a navy blue polo-style shirt with red and white sleeve and collar stripes, gray slacks and a navy cap. The uniform shirt shall have an MHSAA officials emblem worn on the left chest pocket, or shall include a sublimated MHSAA logo above the left pocket area. All other articles of clothing (i.e., turtleneck, undershirt, jacket or plate coat) shall be navy blue. The ball bag(s) shall be either gray or navy blue. A navy blue umpire cap with an embroidered MHSAA logo across the front is permitted. The belt, shoes and socks shall be solid black. OPTIONAL: Umpires may also wear a powder blue polostyle shirt with navy and white sleeve and collar stripes as long as all members wearing a shirt wear the same color.
@@MJHBaseball ah, so that's still your state high school association mandatory uniform. in my area you literally are not allowed to wear navy or that old style powder blue for a high school game; that particular type of powder blue with the navy/white stripes was considered a softball shirt, no one around here ever wore that one for baseball; the powder blue of that style the baseball guys here wore has the black collar and sleeve cuffs. none of this is really meant to be critical, it's just interesting how stuff differs region to region. here almost everyone wears the current MLB style black with the grey side panels, and sometimes the previous MLB black with the white stripe on the side; the blues of those styles are worn sometimes, if it's particularly hot, though some guys refuse to wear anything but black.
@@davej3781 I agree that navy blue is out dated. Now that I know that powder blue is a softball color, I know which guys will not know how to rule correctly on obstruction for baseball games. If they are in powder blue, they are likely softball guys... therefore will rule obstruction based on softball rules. Nice to know...wish I knew that in 2015-2019. Could have prevented outs because I assumed umpires knew baseball rules. Oh well. Game of errors, right?
@@MH-Tesla well I would say that specific style of powder blue was/is _typically_ a softball shirt _in my area._ I would never say it's exclusively a softball shirt anywhere, and as we've already seen your area is different. There are other styles of powder blue that are worn by baseball guys here, just not that particular one with the white and navy stripes on the collar & sleeve cuffs
The umpire telling the catcher to stall is not okay. If your league allows you to start a new inning with time left, then that's the rule. If you don't like it, don't umpire. Having the players intentionally waste time so you can get out of there is unprofessional.
I love the coach who checks with the player Billy did he tagged you? guess what coach your players going to lie.... or they make a poor decision like bringing a player to Third Base who's obviously out by 10ft and then they yell underneath followed by how horrible you are the only horrible one in that situation is the coach for bringing them over nice choice Dipshit.... so many guys coaching who really shouldn't be out there
I didn’t see any interference with the kid that bunted the ball…..he clearly beat the catcher out of the box. No int…..on the run down, if the runner has no contact with the fielder, then there is no interference…..the runner should have ran into the fielder and made contact in order to get the interference call. I’ve never, ever seen it called when the runner avoids the contact…..as a coach you should be teaching just that when in a rundown, in most cases it’s the best way to avoid the putout. I have no idea what a “gorilla arm” balk is, never heard of it……I didn’t rewind but on initial impression I didn’t see a balk. On the other one, I think he separated his hands but not enuf evidence from our angle.
Interference on a run down does not require contact, just impede the runner. I have a clip on rundowns where this was called without contact. The "gorilla arm" is just a term used by some umpires to describe a balk called when the pitcher has the ball in his hand and dangles his hand in front of this body. NFHS 6-3 ..."His pitching hand shall be down at his side or behind his back."
Never seen it called….”impede” is very vague, the best way is to not run around the fielder, run into him. There is no abiguity as to the call…..it will be called every time (if the ump is looking) and maybe not looking if he sees both laying on the ground as a result. Always teach your player to make contact, it will never be called if not…..
On the first play - The opening day JV game - U1 exclaims “fair ball” … yes horrible mechanic. Even worse he wandered out in front of the plate (with his back to it) and never saw 2 runners touch the plate. I sat all this because parents and coaches also need to realize that these associations are hurting for umpires. I’m sure that guy is green but he’s needed and hopefully he says with it and gets the proper training. Kudos to the coaches for not beating down on him. Also, MJH, you need to realize that it’s the pitchers job to deceive batters and base runners. He just as to do it legally. Ie: the balk defined.
Hurting for umpires is a mild way of putting it. It's gotten so bad here, that right now I've not had a day off in a month and not getting one until the season ends. Not to mention, IF the HS association is even doing the sub-varsity games, almost all are solo umpire (both baseball and softball,) and often are done by a 3rd party umpire group (as they are subvarsity, they don't need to be nfhs certified like we do for Sub-Varsity games... Varsity all have to be certified.). And here in phoenix, when the HS season starts.. we don't have rust. the HS season pretty much comes at the end of our Baseball/softball years. We start doing tourney's in Sept and end in June (July/Aug temps are in the 120's... not fit for human outdoor activity... nor for most living creatures)
"even worse..." ? "the guy is green." ? I had to watch this video a few times to catch the tongue in cheek here. it's the baserunners that are behaving comically. there was a play at first base when the runner retreated after noticing the runner at 2nd wasn't advancing, so the umpire was right to "wander off." not sure if you're joking as well, but calling him green and noting that he didn't see 2 baserunners cross the plate has me almost as confused. it's just a funny play.. with good umpiring.
5:45 Actual exchange between me and catcher in my first ever college wood bat development league game this year.
First pitch to the first batter of the game - High in the zone, but should have been called:
*Me:* Ball _(instant regret)_
_Catcher looks up at me a bit surprised._
Second pitch - Ground out directly to 1B. (Thank God.)
Before next batter gets to the plate:
*Catcher:* Hey, was that first pitch too far up for you?
*Me:* No, it was just a shit call.
*Catcher laughing:* I thought you looked a bit pissed after that one. I'll see if I can get another one up there for you so you can set the record straight.
Having a good catcher who gets it is absolutely invaluable.
One of the best benefits to umpiring higher levels is your catchers are much easier to work with.
@@MH-Tesla Absolutely. It makes the game so much more fun. I am way more relaxed and settled in doing those games.
I remember one time I was working the plate. The pitcher was consistently an inch or two outside and the manager was screaming at me. Finally, the catcher says, just loud enough for me and the batter, "Damn, he really can't tell what's outside from there, can he?"
@@eauhomme I love catchers like that. Or if the coach asks, "Where was that?" and he says, "It was out." and totally has your back. My favorite was a game where I was definitely not settled in, and was calling it a tad low. Around the 4th -- too late for me to do anything about it -- the batters are irritated with me. After some grumbling by the offense's dugout the catcher looks over and says to them, "It's been there all day and hasn't moved. If you can't figure it out by now then that's on you." I was thankful for him, even though I was irritated at myself.
I’ve been umpiring for 22 years and I always apologize between innings if I believe in retrospect I missed a call.. Ego is the worst thing an Umpire can have
I have a few of my closest calls from last season on my channel. Thankfully I got all of them correct
The only time it's safe to "apologize" is when the game is either NOT important or NOT close. Sure, I've told some hitters after a called strike, "Sorry, man. That was probably a bit low." The kids are usually gracious about my mistake and often say something like, "No problem." But, believe me, if the team at-bat was in the bottom of the 7th and losing 2-1 in a regional elimination game, with the tying run on base, I wouldn't "apologize" for a bad strike call - not in *that* situation.
Never apologize. It's a given that we don't get 100% of our calls right. It's okay to look a little angered or glum after missed call, to drop your head for a split second - but it's more important to remain professional, calm, and consistent, and not let a missed call impact any of your future calls. While normally, I'd say a failure to apologize is too much machismo, there's really no excuse to be having discussions with coaches about judgment calls during the course of a live game.
It's grounds to protest a game; don't do it.
First of all, I am enjoying going through your videos of actual events that occurred in games.
I am an umpire and it's interesting to watch other umpires doing things right and wrong.
At 6:20, the fans are shouting out pitch location and you say that it should be "shut down." But, by whom? The umpire? Never!
It's always a bad idea for an umpire to get confrontational with the fans. At high school games, there is always a field administrator (a representative of the school) who is in charge of order at the game venue. Even a field complex has somebody who is in charge. The umpire keeps order *inside* the fence and the field administrator keeps order *outside* the fence. If the umpire needs to address fan behavior, he should deal with the field administrator - not the fan. Sometimes the "field administrator" is the home team manager. In any case, umpires should not directly confront or eject fans.
Besides, although very Bush League, calling out pitch location is not what I would consider as "crossing the line" as far a fan behavior goes. The catcher should set up later so that any information from the fans is either distracting or coming too late. How is this any different from a runner at 2nd base signaling the pitch location to the batter - which is not illegal?
One thing I see a lot as an umpire is the catcher setting up *WAY* outside when the count is 0-2. I've *never* seen a batter chase that pitch and strike out. First of all, the catcher usually sets up way too early and the batter can actually *see* the catcher out there. It's a waste of a pitch, in my opinion. The pitcher would be better off breaking off a low curveball or setting the batter up with a fast ball over the plate but ABOVE his hands - then come back with a curveball - changing his "eye level." In high level baseball (MLB and college) you never see catchers setting up like this on an 0-2 count. Oftentimes, the pitcher goes after the hitter in three straight pitches. The batter is expecting something tricky with an 0-2 count and the pitcher challenges him by blasting a fastball right past him.
9:15 - where is the batter interference here? The batter bunts the ball and takes off towards 1B, not coming even close to the catcher. The only thing I can think of is that the batted ball hit the runner. Why was the call made?
I think the ball hit the hitter/runner. Hard to tell from that angle, though.
You're right about being in the right spot to make a call. It goes a long way toward avoiding controversy. Back in the days when I was both coaching HS baseball and umpiring youth ball we had a HS scrimmage game where a quality veteran umpire was guiding two newer umpires. Our half inning ended on a very close play at 1B with the newer umpire getting the call right but from a bad spot. As I was walking back towards the dugout from the 1B coaches box the veteran umpire pointed at me and said to the new guy: "See that guy? If you make that call from that position when the game counts he's going to be inside your shirt, even if you got the call right." Truer words were never spoken by an umpire.
I noticed that several highlights on this channel are from Jenison, MI. I grew up not far from there. Kinda cool to see them on YT.
5:38 is an obvious strike???? That looked high!
Same, reaction, it was probably the pitcher's delusional parents or something
Typical pitcher's parents amiright
Concerning the balk sequence starting at 5:10, I also can't see anything, but from the reaction of the field umpire it seems to me he might be showing that the pitcher separated his hands and put them back together again. That would definitely be something you won't see from this camera angle, but it would be a legitimate balk.
LOL # 8 was a start/stop balk, good call
Constantly amazed coaches with the lead and hitting have no idea how much time is left could run the clock out on offense. Last night I had to listen to a coach tell me the picture has to pause if he's out of the stretch whether there's runners or not. We had obstruction last night which my partner called the coach argued he didn't mean to these are on travel select teams where you think that coaches would have some idea what the hell they're doing
Batter interference is probably something I miss the most also. It usually happens so fast. These are good videos that I learn from. Hopefully I never end up in your videos :)
LOL # 8 was a start/stop balk, good call, though pretty minor movement for High School, the balk around 6:10 was his slight hesitation before completing the pitch. Though maybe he didnt with hi spitching arm.
10:41 - "by a whole step blue!" wtf? that's about as bang-bang as any call gets. I've got him safe, so good call, but sell that call blue (yellow?) - step into it, make it big, "SAFE!"
Yep looks 100% safe to me
6:00 Any natural motion associated with his delivery of the ball to the batter commits him to the pitch without alteration or interruption. This was both an alteration and an interruption.
For batters interference, 1 was but thats a tough call to make, 2 was for sure the most obvious one, because he was so far in the way with no good reason. His team absolutely gained an unfair advantage by the batter getting in the way.
3 and 4 probably were not because the batter hardly moved, but 5 was because the batter moved right into the catchers throwing lane.
When you’re at time limit like that, you don’t tell the catcher to go talk to the pitcher. You got to be slicker then that. You say you got dirt in your eye, brush the plate off necessary or not, tie your shoes fake an injury. Anything but to be as obvious as tell the father hey go kill some time lol
6:00 - come on MJH, you know the rule: whenever the pitcher does something that looks weird, it has to be a balk!
no, no balk here.
I bet U1 thought he didn't pause long enough.
@@XXelpollodiabloXX but he had a very clear stop, and PU called it not U1... perhaps you're looking at a different pitch?
@@davej3781 Oh, I agree he stopped. I was just trying to find the rationale for why it would have been called. One of the guys I work with is an absolute Nazi on coming set, to the point that it's really irritating. I thought maybe one of these guys was like that.
@@ToadHallPub if he doesn't stop his motion and delivers the pitch, it's not a balk; it looks weird, but it's not a balk
I remember once a partner of mine called a balk. The coach asked "what'd he do?" The umpire paused, then said, "I don't know, but it sure was ugly!"
I once had a left-hander do the fake-third/throw-first move. Ugliest thing I ever saw on a field. Took everything I had to keep from calling it a balk (at the time, the 3-1 move was legal).
It kills me, though, when the batter ducks, but the ball is nowhere near them. It messes with my judgement on the strike zone for that batter
Tough balk call - pitcher twitchy - he twisted to right bringing hands together or moved blocked right hand after set
As a catcher I always had this problem with batters but never once got this call!
These are good videos
2:24 - U1, why is your back to the fielder and ball?
ball hit to your right, step up with your right foot, turn with the ball as it passes and open to the play; once you see the fielder committing to 1B, drop step and cross over to move towards the 1BL 45' to open the angle on the play, still eyes on the fielder until you see a good throw. CHEST TO BALL.
3:00 - in high school that should be an automatic ejection
On the batter interference calls, i think the catcher should intentionally make obvious contact with the batter and ditch the throw. By doing this, the batter wilk get called out and the runner will be sent back to the base they were stealing from.
Yes create the contact you get to call no contact no call otherwise you end up with theater
Hi. Is that really a bad call at 4:43? Didn't the batter hit a curving hit just outside the 3rd base? He had the line of sight---not the camera angle. Thanks.
The ball landed on the chalk line making it undeniably fair. But we all make mistakes.
@@MH-Tesla Yea. It was fair and the umpire likely missed the part where it hit and then deviated left due to spin.
@@ToadHallPub Please read on. Thanks.
@@ToadHallPub Yes. I can tell from this video. That's what makes video so amazing. You can rewatch, slow down, pause, zoom in. Truly spectacular technology nowadays.
8:32
pardon my french, but 1 foot to the right of the mound and throw actually at 12 o clock with the pitchers head literally facing the ground is a called a wild pitch in my eyes, but was actually hit
At 4:30 the pitcher is called for a balk, apparently because he turned his shoulders toward 1st without making a play. However, the pitcher had not yet come set. I thought the pitcher was free to turn his shoulders PRIOR to coming set. AFTER he comes set, he cannot turn his shoulders like that. I would not have called a balk on that. In fact, I see that all the time.
That Balk call is for the "gorilla" arm. In NFHS the pitcher can't swing his free arm back and fourth like he's doing.
@@MJHBaseball That *used* to be illegal. I think NFHS removed the "gorilla arm" prohibition a few years ago. This year, they got rid of the "hybrid" stance prohibition and better defined what constitutes the wind-up and set position.
Hmm. I will have to look to see about the "gorilla arm" thing. If they removed it, they didn't let this umpire know. LOL. That was from 2021.
@@MJHBaseball Prior to coming set, the rule book states that the pitcher's pitching arm must be either at his side or behind his back. The PURPOSE of this rule is so that the runners can clearly see WHEN the pitcher comes set. There are some pitchers who hide their pitching arm in front of their body (from the runner on 1st). Then they come to a very subtle, low set position. The runner on 1st cannot tell WHEN the pitcher actually comes set - and that's because he can't see his pitching arm.
When a pitcher uses the "gorilla arm," I guess one could say that his arm is not behind his back nor at his side. Nonetheless, EVERYBODY can see the pitcher's arm and it's always very clear WHEN the pitcher comes set. Besides, one could argue that the "gorilla arm" *is* at the pitcher's side. If the pitcher kept his arm still and stood up straight, then the "gorilla arm" would no longer be a "gorilla arm." It's only a "gorilla arm" because he is bent over so severely.
Yes, this has been removed from the rules. I'm guessing about 4 years ago, maybe more.
I had an issue umpiring last year during a timed tournament as shown in this video. I started an inning with 1 minute remaining on the clock and the team who was winning got upset about this even though the rules stated that an inning can not be started after the allotted time which it was 1 minute before the allotted time when the 1st pitch of the inning was thrown. The team who was winning going into the inning won anyways but I could have easily just waited 1 minute and called the game but the rules are the rules.
Timed games can sometimes be a HUGE problem. The game of baseball was not designed to be played on a clock. Nowhere in the rules does it say anything about a game being timed like a basketball or football game. It's an artificiality that has been injected into the game - usually to facilitate the timeliness of subsequent games on the same field in tournaments.
@@DavidEmerling79 yea but that was a 10u tournament so they are always timed let alone we had 3 fields teams were playing on with 3 different umpiring crews and I still umped at least 5 games that day
The new inning begins the very second the final out occurs of the previous inning. Time cannot expire between innings unless the team that is in the lead is coming to bat in the BOTTOM of the inning.
3:07, that would (for me) have been batter out and ejected. Interference for the out, which probably would have gotten the argument leading to ejection.
6:52, batter out, runner goes back, mom ejected, sign stealing.
6:20 Just started seeing this kind of not so fair play last season when my son hit 12U. I usually sit somewhere behind the backstop fence as I'm in charge of game changer. There was a parent doing this same thing. I relayed it to our coaches. Our HC talks with the ump between batters to inform him. Parent starts calling catcher movement for the next batter. Ump calls time and walks over the parent and kindly informs them that if they do that again they will be asked to leave the park. Surprisingly the HC of that team got really upset about this and was almost ejected.
That's funny. I typically tell parents if I warn them that if they keep it up they will be restricted to watching past 1st or 3rd base. It's usually the pitcher's dad or mom, so they get worked up. I'd rather keep them at their kids game since their child is a minor, but if they can't control themselves after moving, I'd eject. I've never had to do anything other than give a warning and that only a couple times.
I rarely called out the parent directly. I usually would call time, motion for the coach to come see me, and talk out of view, asking the coach to control his parents. That usually worked, as the coach would go talk to the parent afterward.
@@eauhomme Yeah, I almost always attempt to manage parents through the coaches first. Coaches usually have a bit more rapport with the parents. If this doesn't work, then I'll take care of it myself.
9:15 what am i missing here, what was the interference by the batter??
I would call balk because his front foot lands before he throws. This is technically a stop in his motion
I thought - and maybe I'm wrong - that a balk is called when in the umpire's judgment the pitcher is trying to deke a baserunner. I realize there are technical aspects to it as well, but my understanding was that the intent has to be there as well.
intent is not required otherwise umpires would need to be mind readers. Certain aspect of the pitch MUST be called a balk no matter what. It is true, that the balk rule is intended to prevent the pitcher from deceiving the runner, but there is a long list of pitcher actions that must be called a balk. For example. The pitcher is on the pitcher plate in the windup position. He then steps back off the plate with the wrong foot (not the pivot foot) to switch to pitch from the stretch. This MUST be called a balk even though most of the time the pitcher is simply switching how he wants to pitch. Or dropping the ball while engaged with the rubber. Or starting to pitch and stopping because his foot gets stuck and he trips. All of which have nothing to do with intent to deke a runner. They are still balks.
There's a whole laundry list of balks. Some of them deal with trying to deceive runners (e.g. a left-hander who steps towards home but throws to 1st), others have nothing to do with trying to deceive runners (e.g. dropping the ball while engaged with the rubber.)
There are lots of legal things a pitcher can do to deceive runners (e.g. the "inside move" with a runner on 2nd and the fake-to-3rd and throw-to-1st move)
6:10 balk was probably called for not completely coming set
9:14 Is the batter runner called for interference because of where he laid the bat down? Or just by running towards 1st where his path happens to be in front of the catchers motion to field the ball?
The umpire said the ball hit him in the helmet after he exited the batter's box.
9:15 - why is BR being called out? if the ball hit his bat after it bounced off the ground, that's a foul ball because he's still in the box. otherwise I'm not seeing anything here
Ball hit the runners helmet. I think only the umpire and catcher could see that as it isn't really noticeable in the video.
@@MJHBaseball the ball never came all that close to the helmet, trick of perspective. watch the shadows - clear sunlight between the ball and helmet
@@MH-Tesla presumably PU heard and/or saw something that made him think the ball hit BR's helmet, but the video appears to refute that.
sounds like you have a good and ambitious plan in place. If you've not already, I highly recommend you and the other UIC's and top guys seek out training at your LL Regional HQ; out here at west region they have excellent training.
@@davej3781 I looked again and went frame by frame. The ball bounces then goes straight up. It disappears behind the helmet and the next 2 or 3 frames the ball is clearly moving more towards 1st base than it should be without contact. Since the ball's expected movement is changed only after it disappears behind the helmet, one must conclude that the ball made contact with the batter after he left the batter's box. As far as the SHADOW is concerned, you need to remember this is 30 FPS. A lot can happen in 1/30th of a second. Even the shadow suddenly changes directions. I think it's definitive after seeing the frame by frame on a computer and not a cell phone. And of course knowing this is of utmost importance...not many things more important these days than knowing the truth about a call in a baseball game!
@@MH-Tesla I'm not seeing any change in the movement at all, nor any change in the shadow. and yes, I am watching at 1080p on a 28" screen. but PU heard or saw something that elicited the call, so maybe it did hit somehow
6:00 it seems to be he didn't come to a stop during his set....there for quick pitch,balk
Frist play plate umpire yells 'FAIR BALL' this is something you learn not to do in the lower level. The umpire is over his head at high school level.
What difference does it make if he serialized "fair ball"
@@davidkufahl2413you don’t say fair ball. It can be confused when you yell foul ball. All you need to do on a fair ball is point to center field
@@kellenmlnarik530That’s correct.
@9:15, why is the batter/runner called out? I've watched it 10 times and can't see what he did wrong.
The ball hit the bill of the runner's helmet after bouncing on the ground. Since he was already out of the batter's box, that is an out. Runner's Interference. He's out and other runners are returned to the bases they were on at the time of the pitch.
@@MJHBaseball Gotcha. Hard to see that on the iphone. Thanks!
5:24 fooling a runner is not in the rule book by the way. Also I have movement after see here.
I don't know if you're implying that the last pitch of this video was a "make up call" and a ball. that pitch was 100% a strike. you can even hear an onlooker saying something about "that curve." just because the batter moves doesn't mean it was a bad pitch.
2:30 - rundown, better for PU to take this rundown from outside; being inside on this could get messy. yes, clearly missed obstruction, automatic award of home. however, the obstruction was a bit thin, if PU wanted to say "in my judgment he wasn't actually hindered", I wouldn't necessarily call for his head
Didn't come to a stop.....rolled through it.
10:53 looks like a tie to me. So umpires judgement.
Unfortunately most umpires won't learn from these mistakes because of foolish pride or ego. They all need more training with all the rule changes each year. Also knowing the different rules from different leagues
At 6:50, the commentator says that calling pitches by a spectator "should be shut down". Where in the rules does it say so? And why don't the pitcher and catcher use it to their advantage?
You mean by having the catcher set up to receive the pitch and the pitcher throwing it somewhere else? Also in many leagues this would still be illegal if a runner on second tried to relay the catcher's position. Absolutely unfair to allow someone outside of the 9 active players to do so, even in Houston.
Is a foul ball when it hits ANY of the white? Or if it's ANY of the white of the ball crosses the chalk line into the field?
If any part of the ball is over any part of the chalk line, the ball is fair. The chalk lines are considered in fair territory.
8:32 that is NOT the way a catch and transfer should be called. While the umpire did a good job signaling the out, he erred in signaling the transfer horizontally, mimicking a safe call. Transfer call should be vertical.
6:52 - Nothing in the rules say you can not tell a batter where the catcher is set up. Stick to enforcing RULES.
A balk has nothing to do the runner. It’s an illegal action by the pitcher. Deception isn’t considered.
Rule 8.05 note: Umpires should bare in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpires mind, the "intent" of the pitcher should govern. Page 155 in the 2022 rule book.
4:35 thank god they now allow this. It was the worst call to make in a HS game.
6:10 didn’t look like a balk to me
I still haven’t seen that whole step.
4:40 - slow, moved the wrong way. move left to get to the line; the catcher and batter are going right, and 3BLX is a lot further away.
He hesitated on the call, so it's pretty clear he wasn't sure. The hands went half-way up, he paused, then he signaled the foul ball.
@@eauhomme yep... but being in position and on time gives a better chance of being sure
Hard to get interference on example 5. IMO catcher has to make a better attempt at the throw. Rule says he only has to attempt but that, for me, wouldn’t have got called.
Also, MJH, work on your “ball thrown into dead ball area” rules. All of them are timing. All are two base awards (except thrown from the pitchers plate).
One for you: R1, and BR are both between 1 and 2nd when the ball is thrown into dead ball area by the center fielder. What are the base awards?
are you sure you know the ball thrown into DBT rules? because what MJH explained on the play starting at 7:00 was absolutely correct
the answer to your scenario is 2 bases from the base legally acquired at the time of throw; in this case R1 gets 3B and BR gets only 2B because this type of award can't force a preceding runner to advance beyond his awarded base so BR can't be awarded 2 bases here.
@@davej3781 correct. My point was that it’s always 2 bases and it’s timing. The scenario I gave is also an exception. That’s all.
so when the runner is stealing third the batted must stay in the box the catchers are not going around the batter so that's why all of that is a problem the 5th on was batter interference.
If he turns his shoulders when he is set is a balk
Missing that obstruction during the rundown is unacceptable
Catcher has to throw the ball for batter interference. Also, the batter has a right to the box, as long as they don’t move in the box, no interference.
Catcher DOES not have to throw the ball for batters interference to be called
BI...1:07 = yes, 1:18 = yes, 1:29 = no, 1:43 = no, 1:53 = perhaps, 3B BI are tougher than 2B
2:15 agree with comment about positioning, but coaches and fans don't know what our position is supposed to be?, if you hustle, hustle, hustle, ya less grief from coaches
2:36 not OBS, fielder gave him space to run, runner altered his route slightly, but didn't have to or wasn't forced to
4:17 don't agree with the "pre pitch IF" as you call it, in this case, happens all the time, a slight tap and catcher had plenty of time to reset.
5:20, this is a had to be there, but perhaps there was some slight swaying by F1 after he was set, not enough for me though.
5:36, you say obvious strike, don't know U1's zone was for that game, but ya in and out looked pretty good, but up and down definitely crossed above the belt, but don't know his tolerance in that game
9:20, yes correct enforcement of his B/R IF call but I don't see IF there, the ball did not appear to touch the BR, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as he was right there.
10:24, ya he's out of the box and should be out, but this is almost never called, I've called it a couple of times in my career, on easy calls, and got holy hell from the coach, not that it matters, but almost nobody will ever notice if you don't call this.
10:57, this was so obvious, was not even close, gotta nail F1 on that, surprised that batter said nothing
Great responses....
4:17 - This is called "back swing interference" in NFHS, but "back swing" is often confused with "follow through" and different rule books use these terms differently. On an earlier video a commenter mentioned he uses the term "pre-swing interference" to simplify the confusion which is why I used that term in this video. I like it. Here is the NFHS rule book on "back swing interference."
NFHS now defines backswing interference as when a batter contacts the catcher or his equipment prior to the time of the pitch (2-21-5). If a batter, during his preliminary loosening-up swings, or when he cocks the bat to swing, hits the catcher or the catcher’s mitt, the umpire should immediately call time, and not interference. The pitch or swing should not be allowed since the batter’s concentration or rhythm could be affected (NFHS 8.1.1F, NCAA 8-2e AR, OBR 5.05b3 Comment 3).
@@MJHBaseball I only do OBR, didn't know back swing, aka pre-swing, IF was a rule in Fed, but good to know
@@mariovercillo1319 it's a rule at all levels.. in OBR it's a comment on CI (5.05(b)(3)), not a distinct rule:
"If the catcher interferes with the batter before the pitcher
delivers the ball, it shall not be considered interference on the
batter under Rule 5.05(b)(3). In such cases, the umpire shall
call “Time” and the pitcher and batter start over from “scratch.”"
@@davej3781 maybe so, but do you call time every time the batter lightly touches, or nicks, the catcher's glove with his bat? it happens every game, or multiple times a game
@@mariovercillo1319 you use judgment as to when a full time call is needed (rare), or putting up one hand (sometimes), or nothing (commonly). I think you're exaggerating more than a bit to say it happens every game, multiple times a game... that's some weird baseball you're doing. I doubt I see the batter contact the catcher pre-pitch more than once in a month.
I disagree on several of those better interference. Catcher had choices to step out in front of the plate.
If the batter's leaving the box, that's a problem. Catcher shouldn't have to maneuver around the batter to make a play unless the batter's where he's supposed to be.
So, you're arguing balls and strikes? Classy...
It’s interference on a play to third if he is out of the box
There's no wording in the NFHS rulebook about "deception" - if a coach/player ever asks you about it, or about the pitcher's intent - let them know we call balks based on mechanics only, and not the intent or effect or their actions, for which NFHS rules do not give us any grounds for interpretation or judgment. That said, it can help soothe an angry coach by simply stating that "no one was deceived, nor did anyone attempt to deceive another player; I did not see a balk, so I did not call one." Great video, but be careful about making rulings on "deception"! We don't know what this is under NFHS rules!
For the batter interference - I'd say no to 2, yes to 3 and 4, and no to 5. The last one was not because the batter made an attempt to clear out of the box and out of the catcher's way into foul territory, as he should have. He could not have anticipated the catcher moving back as well.
Actually the batter should not move at all. Any movement that ends up interfering with the throw is what will be called. Just staying still and not moving at all can not be interference on a throw to 3rd by the catcher. The batter is NOT expected to disappear so the catcher can make a throw. Anytime a runner on 2nd steals 3rd, the batter, after offering at the pitch (or not swinging) should not move at all. Spectators often say, "He needs to get out of the way," or, "Next time hit the batter in the ear." They are wrong. Rule 6.06 (c) "The batter is out for illegal action when interfering with the catcher's ... throwing by *stepping out of the batter's box, or, making any other movement* that hinders the catcher's action at home plate or the catcher's attempt to make a play on a runner..."
@@MJHBaseballwell said.
5:20 I can’t believe you actually questioned the validity of a balk call because “he’s not trying to fool the runner.” You know better than that.
On the first play, the Plate Umpire is in the infield while runners are touching home. He needs to stay back, let his Field Umpire take the calls in the field, and make certain players are touching home plate. On the second play, that is interference. It is not often called, but it is clearly interference, it should be called, and you can bet someone isn't going to like it. The next play is interference, to9, (not called, and the play after that is "questionable." I probably wouldn't call that one, but I would warn the batter that I could have. On the next play, you can hear the throw hit the bat. That's interference even though the batter was in the box because the batter is moving. If he held his ground, I wouldn't call the interference. These calls require judgment. A lot of players aren't taught the batter's box rule, and most don't really know it. Enforcing the batter's box rule cuts down on these questionable calls needing judgment.
On the gorilla arm ball, the first time I see it, I stop play, and warn the pitcher. A lot of time they do not know. That is usually enough to stop that. Also, if he does it again, he knows it, and understands when the balk is called.
I've made the wrong call several times. Sometimes you can fix it, and sometimes you can't. When a ball is called "foul," everything stops, so you can't reverse that. If, however, you call it "fair," and it is "foul," that can be remedied, and reversed.
On the questionable balk call, I say I would call that a balk, but I really don't know what I would do in a game. I do believe it is a balk because the stop/start motion is deceptive, whether he meant to or not. Runners will see him stop, and they will stop, too. If he does this particular motion on every pitch, I will not call it, but I'm guessing he doesn't work that way all the time. The keys here are deception, and usual motion.
Umpires should never interfere to shorten a game. Give both teams equal chance to compete according to the rules.
One thing they fail to mention here, and that I police myself is an umpire "getting tired." I can work five or six games in a day, but the truth is that I am best when I am freshest, and that's in the morning. I am best for about three games, and pushing it after four. I have found that I know what to do, but I tend to make bad calls, mistakes, or use poor judgment when I am hot, tired, and I haven't eaten in a while. The keys here are 1) Don't schedule too many game, 2) Drink a little bit between every inning. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated, and it's too late to catch up, 3) Take some kind of "easy-to-eat" food with you to nibble on between innings, and keep you blood sugar up. In tournaments, there usually isn't time between games to eat, or even change out equipment, let alone pee. Planning ahead helps, especially knowing where the bathrooms are for a quick run. I've had partners leave me alone during an inning to go to the port-o-let.
2:10 - play at the plate... good position, but way late getting there, still getting in position when the tag went down. that's why he missed the call.
At 6:06 balk called because pitcher dis not come to a discernible STOP!
BI -
#1 - yes
#2 - yes - PU's explanation for no calling BI is not valid. the catcher couldn't step into and properly complete his throw.
#3 - yes
#4 - yes - "but blue, he was in the box... KNOW THE RULE!!!!". yes, I do know the rule... NFHS 7-3-5c, OBR 6.03(a)(3) : "... or makes any other movement which hinders the catcher"; this is WELL accepted as batter interference at all levels, all rulesets. I will guarantee you that 100% of the time when a fan shouts "KNOW THE RULE!!!!" at an umpire, the fan does not know the rule. (note I'm not saying anyone actually said that in this video... just that's what "they" tend to say if you properly call BI on this)
#5 - no - the catcher made no actual attempt at a play. it's not absolutely necessary to complete the throw, but if no throw is even attempted it is up to the umpire to determine why. in this case, clearly the correct interpretation is that F2 made no throw because he saw he had no play, R2 had the base stolen.
Disagree on #4. Batter didn't make any move at all. Catcher threw poorly and hit his bat. As a coach I'll teach batter's to duck on runners stealing 3rd so there's no question, but this batter is anything moves away from a good throw, not into one. Catcher needs to step back to clear a throwing lane, not attempt to throw through a batter... and you know me, I'm usually on the catcher's side.
@@MH-Tesla it doesn't matter whether the catcher should have done something different or better, what matters is that the batter moved and interfered with F2's throw. the only way the batter is clear from interference here is by NOT moving. he moved, quite a lot, and turned his bat into the throw. please trust me, this needs to be called interference. be careful teaching your batters to duck, unless they duck by dropping directly down with no other movement they may duck right into the throw... interference is interference even if the batter is trying not to interfere. standing still is always best
Just making sure I’m still not in any of these videos….we’re good
For better interference the catcher needs to sell it more… make it no chance that ball makes it to second and you’ll get the call.. I was taught to go through people and just play.. if they are truly in the way it will show but if you pull back to not hit them that’s your fault and I would not bail you out as an umpire
On the batter interference plays, 1), 2), 3) and 5) are must-calls. Ironically, play 4) is the only play where the hitter moves the least, and that's the play with contact. But the catcher can't throw right through the hitter, so no interference call in my opinion.
6:03 Absolute balk. Never held his set. Brought the glove to his chest and immediately pitched.
I don't think this is a balk. Pitcher did come set, discernible stop. He continued his motion once he started. As awkward as it looked, pitcher completed the pitch.
He was signaling the ball came out on the transfer
I want to know why the field umpires are watching the fly balls, when the runners are running. The plate umpires job to watch the fly ball, and the field umpires job to watch the runners touch the bases. If both umpires are watching the fly ball, then who is watching the runners?
90' mechanics when U1 is inside, they have catch/no catch for all flyballs in the V, or until called off by their plate partner.
I’d have called all them except for #2 interference
It wouldnt be batter interference i was watching an mlb game and the batter has every right to stand there
Batter interference 3rd one for sure, batter cannot step out when a runner is stealing, luckily the catcher didn't collide with him which is why I think the umpire didn't call and interference
it's funny how many guys I see wearing Navy blue in your area. in my neck of the woods, NOBODY wears navy blue. I have one, and only one, Navy blue shirt, and I wear it only if I absolutely have to which is pretty much never (it's patched for little league too, that's the only place navy rears it's ugly blue head)
also 7:00 - short sleeve navy shirt with black long-sleeve undershirt? ewww. just... no, ok? no. credit though for wearing a navy cap and ball bag (it's purple now, but it was navy awhile ago) with the navy shirt, but the black long sleeves ruin it
Baseball - Umpires shall wear a navy blue polo-style shirt with red and white sleeve and collar stripes, gray slacks and a navy
cap. The uniform shirt shall have an MHSAA officials emblem worn on the left chest pocket, or shall include a sublimated
MHSAA logo above the left pocket area. All other articles of clothing (i.e., turtleneck, undershirt, jacket or plate coat) shall be
navy blue. The ball bag(s) shall be either gray or navy blue. A navy blue umpire cap with an embroidered MHSAA logo across
the front is permitted. The belt, shoes and socks shall be solid black. OPTIONAL: Umpires may also wear a powder blue polostyle shirt with navy and white sleeve and collar stripes as long as all members wearing a shirt wear the same color.
@@MJHBaseball ah, so that's still your state high school association mandatory uniform. in my area you literally are not allowed to wear navy or that old style powder blue for a high school game; that particular type of powder blue with the navy/white stripes was considered a softball shirt, no one around here ever wore that one for baseball; the powder blue of that style the baseball guys here wore has the black collar and sleeve cuffs. none of this is really meant to be critical, it's just interesting how stuff differs region to region.
here almost everyone wears the current MLB style black with the grey side panels, and sometimes the previous MLB black with the white stripe on the side; the blues of those styles are worn sometimes, if it's particularly hot, though some guys refuse to wear anything but black.
@@davej3781 I agree that navy blue is out dated. Now that I know that powder blue is a softball color, I know which guys will not know how to rule correctly on obstruction for baseball games. If they are in powder blue, they are likely softball guys... therefore will rule obstruction based on softball rules. Nice to know...wish I knew that in 2015-2019. Could have prevented outs because I assumed umpires knew baseball rules. Oh well. Game of errors, right?
@@MH-Tesla well I would say that specific style of powder blue was/is _typically_ a softball shirt _in my area._ I would never say it's exclusively a softball shirt anywhere, and as we've already seen your area is different. There are other styles of powder blue that are worn by baseball guys here, just not that particular one with the white and navy stripes on the collar & sleeve cuffs
Never deal with parents they no nothing we laugh at them
The umpire telling the catcher to stall is not okay. If your league allows you to start a new inning with time left, then that's the rule. If you don't like it, don't umpire.
Having the players intentionally waste time so you can get out of there is unprofessional.
Batter interference #1 the mistake was not teaching the catcher the rules and how to advocate for a call.
Hi
Literally none of the "batter interference" questions were interference.
What do you consider interference then? A few of those I wouldn't have been suprised if the catcher clocked him in the helmet
I think the fourth one was interference
Poor position of home plate umpire bad angle of fair ball he called foul
None of them are interference!!!
I love the coach who checks with the player Billy did he tagged you? guess what coach your players going to lie.... or they make a poor decision like bringing a player to Third Base who's obviously out by 10ft and then they yell underneath followed by how horrible you are the only horrible one in that situation is the coach for bringing them over nice choice Dipshit.... so many guys coaching who really shouldn't be out there
Only 3 and 5 were interference
I didn’t see any interference with the kid that bunted the ball…..he clearly beat the catcher out of the box. No int…..on the run down, if the runner has no contact with the fielder, then there is no interference…..the runner should have ran into the fielder and made contact in order to get the interference call. I’ve never, ever seen it called when the runner avoids the contact…..as a coach you should be teaching just that when in a rundown, in most cases it’s the best way to avoid the putout. I have no idea what a “gorilla arm” balk is, never heard of it……I didn’t rewind but on initial impression I didn’t see a balk. On the other one, I think he separated his hands but not enuf evidence from our angle.
Interference on a run down does not require contact, just impede the runner. I have a clip on rundowns where this was called without contact. The "gorilla arm" is just a term used by some umpires to describe a balk called when the pitcher has the ball in his hand and dangles his hand in front of this body. NFHS 6-3 ..."His pitching hand shall be down at his side or behind his back."
Never seen it called….”impede” is very vague, the best way is to not run around the fielder, run into him. There is no abiguity as to the call…..it will be called every time (if the ump is looking) and maybe not looking if he sees both laying on the ground as a result. Always teach your player to make contact, it will never be called if not…..
On the first play - The opening day JV game - U1 exclaims “fair ball” … yes horrible mechanic. Even worse he wandered out in front of the plate (with his back to it) and never saw 2 runners touch the plate.
I sat all this because parents and coaches also need to realize that these associations are hurting for umpires. I’m sure that guy is green but he’s needed and hopefully he says with it and gets the proper training. Kudos to the coaches for not beating down on him.
Also, MJH, you need to realize that it’s the pitchers job to deceive batters and base runners. He just as to do it legally. Ie: the balk defined.
Hurting for umpires is a mild way of putting it. It's gotten so bad here, that right now I've not had a day off in a month and not getting one until the season ends. Not to mention, IF the HS association is even doing the sub-varsity games, almost all are solo umpire (both baseball and softball,) and often are done by a 3rd party umpire group (as they are subvarsity, they don't need to be nfhs certified like we do for Sub-Varsity games... Varsity all have to be certified.). And here in phoenix, when the HS season starts.. we don't have rust. the HS season pretty much comes at the end of our Baseball/softball years. We start doing tourney's in Sept and end in June (July/Aug temps are in the 120's... not fit for human outdoor activity... nor for most living creatures)
"even worse..." ? "the guy is green." ? I had to watch this video a few times to catch the tongue in cheek here. it's the baserunners that are behaving comically. there was a play at first base when the runner retreated after noticing the runner at 2nd wasn't advancing, so the umpire was right to "wander off." not sure if you're joking as well, but calling him green and noting that he didn't see 2 baserunners cross the plate has me almost as confused. it's just a funny play.. with good umpiring.
@@sisterraysbrother what part of good umpiring is Exclaiming “fair” (still having his mask on) and not watching 2 runners touch home?
@@billyray994 no need to double down. it has already been established that MJH was being facetious.
First clip the plate umpire has no clue. Also, Honestly you don't like umpires.
Video on interference if you don’t have one already
It's covered in some of the videos but I don't think I ever did a video solely dedicated to Interference. It's worth adding.