Pulling a card…
The plate umpire owns both lines up to the bag and the third base line past it. The base umpire gets the first base line past the bag only when he starts in foul territory with no one on.
“It doesn't matter how close the base umpire was standing if it wasn't his line.”
The rulebook lists a dozen different balks, and the penalty for every one of them is the same: Every runner moves up one base. Under the pro rules, though, the balk is waved off if the offense does better on the play.
“At the youngest ages, I wouldn't lose my mind over balks.”
The infield fly only counts if the umpire actually calls it. If he didn't, the batter isn't out, no matter how right the situation looked.
“Line drives and bunts don't count, and a pop-up that lands untouched in foul ground is a foul ball.”
The runner who got there second is out when tagged, unless the lead runner was forced, and then it's the lead runner. A smart fielder can get two outs out of it.
“Tag them both and let the umpire sort it out.”
A foul tip goes off of the bat sharp and direct to the catcher, and he has to catch it before it touches the ground. The difference between a foul ball and foul tip matters.
“If the catcher holds onto a foul tip, the ball is live, and a runner who's stealing is free to keep going.”
A runner can come home standing up, but every rulebook makes him avoid the catcher. If he runs the catcher over, he's out, and in most codes he's gone.
“If the catcher has the ball and he's waiting on you, get down or go around him.”
The runner can leave the base the instant the ball first touches a fielder, not when the catch is finally secured. I'd teach every runner to go on that first touch.
“Be on the bag, not near it, and go the second a fielder touches the ball.”
Whether a runner can leave early depends entirely on the league. Little League says he can't go until the pitch reaches the batter, and most travel ball allows leads at every age, so I'd ask before the first steal.
“In Little League, a runner who leaves early gets sent back. He doesn't get called out.”
A pitch or a pickoff from the rubber that goes out of play is one base. A fielder's throw out of play is two, and where you count from depends on who threw it and when.
“When the throw ends up in the dugout, look at the pitcher. Was he still on the rubber?”
No. From the rubber, he can throw to an occupied base as long as he steps toward it first. Once he steps off, he's a fielder, and the pickoff balk rules don't apply to him.
“Once he steps off the rubber, he can fake to first all he wants.”
No. A fielder's choice means the defense went after another runner instead of the batter, and if a throw to first would have gotten him, he doesn't get a hit even when every runner is safe.
“A fast runner who would have beaten the throw to first anyway still gets his hit.”
Time is out when the umpire grants it, and not one second before. A runner who steps off the base because his coach yelled "time" is still a runner off his base, and he can be tagged.
“Coaches and players can ask for time. Only the umpire can give it.”
The stop is required before a pitch, not before a throw to a base. From the stretch, he can lift his hands and throw to first without ever stopping, as long as he steps toward the base.
“If he steps toward first before he throws, a quick pickoff without a stop is legal.”
Batter interference on a play at home puts the runner out with fewer than two outs. With two outs, the batter is out and the run doesn't count. High school and Little League also want him to move if he can.
“If the ball gets by the catcher with a runner on third, the plate isn't yours anymore. Get out of there.”
In most youth baseball, no. USSSA and Perfect Game both say a pitcher who leaves the mound is done pitching for that game, even if he stays in at another position. High school is the exception, and Little League's upper divisions allow a limited return.
“Move him to first base for one batter, and you may have just ended his day on the mound.”
Yes, any time he wants, unless the pitcher is on the rubber and ready to pitch. Step across then and he's out, and two strikes has nothing to do with it.
“Coach, I've read that rule, and there's nothing in it about two strikes.”
In baseball, holding the bat out over the plate isn't a swing. If the pitch is out of the zone and the bat doesn't move toward it, it's a ball, whatever he meant to do.
“If your parents are yelling strike on a bat that never moved, they're thinking of softball.”
A batter who gets hit doesn't get first if the pitch was in the strike zone, if he didn't try to get out of the way, or if he swung at it. And no, the hands are not part of the bat.
“Turn away and take it on the back, but don't stick your elbow out looking for it.”
A typical tournament might have no new inning after 1:45, a drop-dead at 2:00 and a run rule of 15 after three or 10 after four. They're different, they interact, and I'd want to know all three before the first pitch.
“Know when the clock started, and know what happens when it runs out.”
Umpires, don't make me the bad guy. If a team is playing with eight, the ninth spot is an automatic out, so just enforce it.
“I've played with eight plenty of times. I never expected the other coach to waive it, and I never asked.”
If the ball was still in flight when it hit him and it went over in fair territory, it's a home run. If it went over in foul territory, or it hit the ground or the wall first, it's two bases.
“If it never touched the ground or the wall, it's still a fly ball when it goes over.”
There's no such thing as a tie, and no rulebook mentions one. The umpire decides which happened first, the tag or the foot, every single time.
“Umpires are trained that there is no such thing as a tie. He has to call it one way or the other.”
The last half of the line to first, 30 feet on a 60-foot diamond, has a three-foot lane in foul territory. Run outside it and get hit by the throw, and you're out for interference.
“Get out of fair territory and into that lane. It's the catcher's job to throw around you.”
Home plate is in fair territory, so a ball that hits it is just a batted ball, judged by where it goes next. The plate can't turn a ball foul on its own.
“Stop watching the plate and watch the ball. Where it goes after that is what decides it.”
When the bat hits the catcher's mitt during the swing, the batter gets first base. And if the play worked out better for the offense, the coach can take that instead.
“Umpires miss it, and a lot of players don't know to ask.”
No. The ball stays live and he keeps running, and he's out only if he got in the way of the throw on purpose.
“Keep running. Let the fielders worry about where the throw goes.”
There's no rule about wrists or the barrel -- whether the batter offered at it is the umpire's call. On a ball, the catcher or manager can ask him to check with his partner, but a strike can't be appealed.
“You can yell 'He broke his wrists!' all you want, but you won't find it in any rulebook.”
Yes. The rulebook doesn't care how a pitch gets to the plate, so if he hits it, it's a batted ball like any other, and if he swings and misses, it's a strike.
“I don't want my hitters chasing pitches in the dirt. But if he hits one fair, he'd better be running!”
The hands are part of the batter in every rulebook, so a pitch off the hands without a swing gets him first. If he swung, it's a strike, and a pitch off the bat, knob included, is a batted ball.
“Ask anyone who yells 'Hands are part of the bat!' to show you the rule, and watch him look.”
Yes. A runner who makes a fielder stop, slow down, go around him or lose the ball because he was in the way has interfered, touch or no touch. On a batted ball, it doesn't even have to be on purpose.
“He didn't have to touch the shortstop. If the shortstop had to play around your runner, that's interference.”
A run that scores before the third out counts, unless that out is a force, the batter put out before first base, or a runner ahead of him called out on appeal for missing a base or leaving early on a caught fly. Then it never counts, no matter how early he scored.
“With two outs, don't jog home. One lazy step can be the difference between a run and nothing.”
No. A called strike has to pass through the zone in flight, so once the pitch touches the ground, it can't be called a strike, even if it hops through the middle. Swinging at it is another story.
“If it bounced, it's a ball unless he swings. I don't care how good it looked in the catcher's glove.”
If the runner was going before the pitch, I'm giving him the stolen base. The wild pitch or passed ball only goes in the book if he takes an extra base because the ball got away, or if another runner moves up.
“Give that runner the steal. He was going before the ball ever got away.”
EH stands for extra hitter, a tenth spot in the batting order who doesn't play the field, while the DH hits for one fielder. Which ones you're allowed depends on whose rules you're playing under.
“If you want ten or eleven bats in the lineup, find out before the game whether that tournament allows it.”
In high school, Little League, USSSA and Perfect Game, a starter can re-enter once in his original batting spot, but a sub who comes out is done (Little League has its own wrinkles). A pitcher who re-enters can play anywhere but the mound, except in high school.
“Before you pull a sub, remember that he isn't coming back.”
A batter can run through first base and come back safely, whichever way he turns. He only loses that protection if he tries for second, and a turn by itself isn't a try.
“Watch his feet, not his eyes. Did he go toward second, or did he just look?”
I'd settle it by asking whether the catcher could have caught it with ordinary effort. If he couldn't, it's a wild pitch on the pitcher, and if he should have, it's a passed ball on the catcher.
“Judge him like an average catcher at his level. Don't hold your 11u catcher to big league standards.”
The move every player has seen on TV is a balk in pro ball and USSSA, but it's still legal in high school, Little League and the Perfect Game youth sheets. I'd find out which rulebook you're playing under before you teach it.
“If the other team's pitcher pulls this move on your runner, you'd better know whether it's legal that day.”
The number of trips you get to the mound varies by rulebook. In USSSA, a second visit to the same pitcher in one inning means he's done pitching, and Perfect Game sets it event by event, so we need to know the number before the game.
“Write every mound visit down on the lineup card, because the umpire is counting them, too.”
Obstruction is the defense getting in the runner's way, and interference is the offense getting in the fielder's way. The penalties go in opposite directions, so it matters which one the umpire sees.
“If you don't have the ball and you aren't fielding it, get out of the runner's way.”
A catch is secure possession in the hand or glove, plus letting go on purpose. How long he held it and whether he juggled it first don't matter, but a ball stuck in his cap isn't a catch.
“Squeeze it, then throw it. Do it in that order and you'll never have this argument.”
A runner who passes the runner ahead of him is out the moment it happens. It's the one who did the passing, not the one who got passed, and the ball stays live.
“Keep your eyes up and watch the runner in front of you. Never pass him.”
It depends on the rulebook. In high school, the ball is dead right away and runners move up one base. In travel ball and the pros, play continues, and the balk can be wiped out.
“The first thing I want to know on a balk is which rulebook we're playing under that weekend.”
A bunt fouled off with two strikes is strike three, the same as a swing and miss -- and it doesn't matter that no one caught it.
“Before you flash the bunt at 0-2, make sure your hitter knows a foul ball is strike three.”
Yes -- what a coach can't do is help him. A high-five or a pat on the back is fine, but grab him, push him, hold him or pull him back to the bag, and the runner is out.
“Give him a high-five as he rounds third if you want, but keep your hands off his jersey on a live ball.”
Who can run for your pitcher or catcher -- the last batted out, a sub, or no one at all -- depends on your rulebook. In my experience, it's the most common lineup-card mistake in youth baseball.
“Before the first pitch, ask the umpire whether you get courtesy runners and who's allowed to be one.”
A fair ball that hits a runner in fair territory before it gets past an infielder is an out. The ball is dead, and the batter gets first. Once it's by the infielders, or off one of their gloves, we usually play on.
“Let the ball go by before you take off. If it hits you, you're out.”
If he's still in the box when the bunt hits him, it's a foul ball, and with two strikes that foul bunt is strike three. If he's out of the box and the ball is fair, he's out.
“Bunt it and run. The longer he stands there watching it, the more likely it finds his foot.”
The batter is out the moment the umpire calls it, whether the ball is caught or not. If it drops, the runners can stay where they are or advance at their own risk.
“With fewer than two outs and runners on first and second, listen for the umpire on any pop-up in the infield.”
A runner forced out on the play means no hit, even if the ball lands in the outfield. The classic version is a runner who holds on a soft liner and gets forced at second by the right fielder.
“If the runner from second gets thrown out at home trying to score, the batter keeps his single.”
A runner who misses a base or leaves early on a tag-up isn't out until the defense appeals. We have to do it the right way, and we have to do it before the next pitch.
“The whole park saw him miss second. If you don't appeal before the next pitch, it never happened.”
No. A righty who stays in the box and holds still isn't interfering, even if the catcher has to throw around him. If he steps toward the plate, leans over it or falls across it after a swing, he's out.
“The throw to third goes right through the batter's box. That's the catcher's problem until the batter moves.”
A fair ball that bounces over the fence, goes through it or gets stuck under it is dead, with two bases from the pitch for everyone. I don't care how fast he is -- the runner on first stops at third.
“I know he'd have scored easily. But the ball left the field, and the rulebook puts him on third.”
I almost always batted our whole lineup, and I understood the risk: In USSSA and a lot of Perfect Game events, an injury leaves a hole that's an automatic out. The umpire should announce it the moment the player leaves the game.
“I've been the bad guy, and it's no fun.”
No rulebook makes a runner slide, but one who stays in the play can cost you two outs. High school and Perfect Game call it on contact or altering the play, while USSSA and Little League require intent.
“If your runner can't slide, teach him to peel off toward the outfield and stay out of the way.”
A ball that hits the bag is fair, and one that bounces past it is judged where it passes. In the air past the bag, it's judged where it first lands or is touched.
“On a ball down the line, figure out whether it bounced past the bag or flew past it. That decides it.”
Little League counts pitches and mandates rest, while many tournaments count innings or nothing at all. As parents, we need to know which one we're under before the second game of the day.
“Ask your son's coach what his own pitch limit is, not just the tournament's.”
If the batter steps out or moves into the catcher's throw on a steal, he's out and the runner goes back. But if the catcher throws the runner out anyway, the interference is wiped out.
“Stay in the box and stay still. The umpire can't call you for standing there.”
Hit the ball with a foot entirely outside the box and you're out. Stepping on the plate counts too (in high school, even a toe on it does). Everyone argues about it on a slap bunt, but almost no one can prove it.
“By the second inning the chalk is gone, and the umpire still has to picture where the line was.”
Batting out of order only costs you an out if the defense appeals at the right moment. If they speak up too early, nothing happens, and if they wait too long, it's legal.
“Keep your own book. The umpire isn't going to fix your lineup for you.”
A pitch is still a pitch after it bounces. If it hits the batter and he wasn't swinging and tried to avoid it, he takes first, and if he swung at it, it's a strike.
“A pitch in the dirt that skips up and hits him still gets him first base.”
There's no must-slide rule in youth baseball, but there are must-avoid rules, and I'd make sure every runner knows them. Run over a fielder and you're out, and in most rulebooks you're ejected too.
“I don't care what you saw on TV. Don't ever lower a shoulder into a fielder.”
Ball four doesn't stop play, and every runner can advance at his own risk, the batter included. But most teams I've seen treat a walk like a timeout.
“On ball four, keep playing until somebody makes you stop.”
If he had it secured in the glove and dropped it pulling it out to throw, the out stands. If it came out before he ever had control, there's no catch.
“Watch the glove close and the ball stop. After that, a drop on the transfer doesn't save the runner.”
The hidden ball trick is legal in most rulebooks, but it depends on the pitcher. If he's on or near the rubber without the ball, it's a balk and every runner moves up.
“If you're going to try it, make sure your pitcher knows to stay well off the mound.”
A fly ball that drops between two fielders who didn't talk, or one lost in the sun or the lights, can be a hit or an error. The scorer decides whether ordinary effort would have made the out, and the book treats a mental mistake as a hit. The untouched error you'll see most is a routine grounder through the legs.
“I don't want a player charged with an error for a ball he never had a chance to catch.”
In high school and at Perfect Game events, a fielder can't block the base without the ball, period. USSSA and Little League allow it when the throw brings him there, but not when he sets up and waits.
“Get the ball first, then go get the base.”
It depends on who runs the game, not your son's age. It's USSSA 1.15 BPF for USSSA and most travel ball through 13u, BBCOR for 14u travel and high school, and the USA Baseball stamp for Little League.
“Before you spend $400 on a bat, find the stamp on the taper and make sure it's the right one.”
There's no baseline until a fielder tries to tag the runner. Then it's a straight line from wherever the runner is to the base, with three feet on either side, and the chalk has nothing to do with it.
“A runner can go get a hot dog on his way to second, as long as no one's trying to tag him.”
If the runner would have been safe even on a clean play, it's a hit. It often looks like an error, but the fielder was usually rushing because he had little or no chance anyway.
“Look at first base before you write down an E.”
Strike three may not be the end of an at bat when the catcher drops it. If you're unsure, RUN.
“With first base open or two outs, strike three in the dirt is not over until the defense finishes the play.”